Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is consolidating the command of its Central Mediterranean operations in Rome, close to the Italian and Maltese authorities and to the officers it deploys across the region.
A memorandum of understanding signed today by Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex, and Vittorio Pisani, Chief of the Italian Police, gives that office formal status under the Agency’s founding Regulation. It has coordinated Frontex operations in Italy and Malta since 2024.
The office hosts the command of Contingent 4, which covers Italy and Malta: some 20 staff working on operations, intelligence, logistics, and administration. That proximity allows for faster coordination and decision-making.
Under that Regulation, Frontex can establish an antenna office in a country where it runs operations, with that country’s agreement, to coordinate its activities there and to support the officers and equipment deployed in the region. The memorandum is Italy’s agreement to host the office in Rome. A European Commission opinion and a Management Board decision follow.
More than 500 officers and staff work in the operation that Frontex runs in Italy: over 250 Standing Corps officers deployed by the Agency, Italian officers taking part in the operation, and interpreters. They cover maritime surveillance in numerous locations and border checks at dozens of Italian airports and seaports. The Agency also deploys aircraft, helicopters, and patrol vessels in the area.
Frontex has been supporting Italy for 20 years. Officers deployed by the Agency have assisted with saving lives at sea, registration and identification in the hotspots, border checks, and the strengthening of returns.
