On 15–16 September, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, hosted a workshop on the practical rollout of the new EU screening process. The event brought together representatives and practitioners from EU Member States, Schengen-associated Countries, pre-accession partners, the European Commission, and EU agencies.
News
Screening at three months: what's working and what needs work
2026-09-25
What is screening?
From 12 June 2026, the EU Screening Regulation introduced a short, structured set of checks for third-country nationals who do not fulfil entry conditions under EU law. This includes people apprehended after an unauthorised border crossing, that have applied for international protection during border checks, brought ashore following search and rescue at sea, or found in the territory after initially evading border controls. The process is carried out by Member States and is an information-collection phase, not an asylum or return procedure.
The event at a glance
The event was hosted in Warsaw, bringing together practitioners from national authorities with Frontex, Europol, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), eu-LISA and the Council of Europe. The workshop was a deep dive into what has been working in the screening process, and what challenges must be addressed.
What were the panels about?
The first day of the workshop covered the experiences of both the EU agencies and Member States in carrying out screening. Day two took a closer look at further developing cooperation between EU agencies and the Member States and included a dedicated panel on safeguarding fundamental rights during screening, moderated by the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office with contributions from the FRA and the Council of Europe. A panel comprising practitioners from Member States and EU agencies also explored the synergies between screening and asylum and return border procedures.
What has been working
Three months into the screening process and its implementation is well under way, especially when it comes to Member State authorities and EU agencies working together. Screening has also brought closer cooperation, not just between Member States and EU agencies, but between different national authorities themselves.
Challenges
The implementation of screening so far has provided Member States and agencies with valuable data and hands-on experience. Based on these, the practitioners pointed to some challenges that will have to be resolved in the future:
Conducting health checks has been among the most demanding parts of the process and will require more trained staff.
Information exchange between the countries’ authorities involved in the screening process and those of other Member States.
Screening infrastructure and resources will have to be adjusted as the new process beds in.
Member States, with the support of EU agencies, need to be better prepared to respond to unforeseen events involving a high influx of TCNs.
The overall mood at the workshop was constructive, and these challenges were not seen as roadblocks, but rather, as implementation tasks to be worked through together.
Looking ahead
All involved are working to refine the screening process as implementation matures across EU Member States. The agencies will continue to address the challenges identified by Member States that fall within their remit and where they can add value.
Read more about how Frontex supports the implementation of the Screening Regulation.