During Eurocup 2012 Frontex will coordinate a joint operation in support of Polish and Ukrainian border guards. From the beginning of June over 100 officers from 23 EU Member States will be deployed on the Polish-Ukrainian border to assist with border checks and border surveillance. At the same time border guards from several Member States and third countries will be working in key airports in Poland and the Ukraine.
What is Frontex’s role during Euro 2012?
Big events such as Euro 2012 inevitably result in increased passenger flows across borders. Large numbers of travellers, in the case of Euro 2012 international football fans, pose a significant challenge to border control. The additional peculiarity of Euro 2012 is the fact that it takes place in two countries – Poland, belonging to the EU and Schengen Area, and Ukraine, which is not part of the Union and is outside Schengen space. Since the matches will take place in both countries, over one million people are expected to cross the borders of Poland and Ukraine at their airports and at land borders. This will take place in addition to the intense passenger traffic experienced daily at these borders.
Why the additional assistance? Are these two countries unprepared to cope with border control?
No. Frontex does not aim to replace border control of the Member States, but merely provides additional assistance to those EU countries that have external land, sea or air borders by pooling resources from other EU countries. Every major sports event requires additional resources and Eurocup 2012 is no exception. Frontex will provide Poland and Ukraine with additional officers and additional equipment for border checks at various border crossing points along Poland’s land border, Polish and Ukrainian airports as well as at a number of international airports in various EU countries.
Frontex will also deploy 130 officers to support Polish border guards at Border Crossing Points as well as to patrol the land, or “green” borders. Additional border control activities will also take place along land borders in other EU countries. So far, no further details can be released due to reasons of operational security.
How many guest officers will be deployed in Poland and Ukraine within the framework of the Frontex operation?
Frontex will coordinate the deployment of 130 officers coming from 23 EU countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland).
What are the powers and competencies of guest officers? Can a guest officer refuse entry to Poland or Ukraine?
Guest officers deployed by Frontex will come to support the Polish and Ukrainian border guards. Since Poland belongs to the EU and is a full member of Frontex, on its territory these officers will have the same powers as Polish border guards: they will patrol the Polish green border, stop any illegal activity, and perform second-line border checks. Guest Officers however cannot refuse entry to Poland – this task remains with Polish border guards as the decision to refuse entry can only be taken by a border guard from a host Member State.
On Ukrainian territory however, these officers will have the status of ‘observers’ – they will mainly provide expert support and knowledge to Ukrainian officers, for example in the field of detection of forged documents.
Frontex will also deploy officers from non-EU countries. What will their role be?
Border guards from Ukraine, Russia and Croatia will be deployed as observers. This means they will not have the same rights as the guest officers, but they will support the Polish border authorities during examination of travel documents, assist local officers with their language skills, and facilitate information exchange between participating Member States and Ukraine, Russia and Croatia. For example, if a traveller from Croatia lands at Warsaw airport and the first-line check officer is unsure about the authenticity of his/her document, he can refer the traveller to a Croatian second-line officer to advise whether this document is authentic or false. Moreover, the Croatian officer will also be able to communicate with the traveller in his/her native language.
Will foreign officers have the same rights as Polish border guards?
Yes, the general rule is that guest officers of one EU country who are deployed in an operation in another country have the same rights as border guards in the host country. This means that for example a German, Austrian, Italian or French border guard coming to Poland during Joint Operation Euro 2012 will have the same rights as a Polish officer. It is important to stress however, that these officers will act under the command and control of the Polish Border Guard and that guest officers cannot refuse entry to Poland – this task always remains with national border guards.
How does a Frontex-coordinated operational work in practical terms?
When disproportionate pressure is identified at the border, or a hot-spot of irregular migration occurs, a decision may be taken to conduct a joint operation there. In such cases Frontex musters the resources of the Member States in terms of border officers and technical equipment and coordinates their deployment for a specified period and to a location where they are needed — this may be at a land or sea border, or at airports. During a joint operation EU Member States and Schengen-Associated countries (SACs) deploy the necessary resources and cooperate under shared leadership to carry out patrols and border checks according to a tightly defined operational plan. Such joint operations are carried out using specially trained officers under the authority of the hosting Member State. Although so-called Guest-Officers have the full rights of border guards, including the right to arrest suspects and carry a service weapon, they must be accompanied at all times by officers of the host country, who have a leading operational role on the territory of their country.
The costs of joint operations are met or reimbursed by Frontex. In addition to border surveillance and border checks, operations may also use specialist interviewers to gather information on the smuggling networks behind irregular migration. The behaviour of officers serving in joint operations is subject to a Code of Conduct approved by the Frontex Management Board to ensure adherence to best practices, the highest professional standards and respect for fundamental rights.