EU border guards would be ready within 24 hours
The European Commission wants a rapid-reaction force of border guards at Frontex, the EU border agency, to help countries facing a sudden surge of migrants, after the crisis in Ceuta.
The European Commission wants a rapidly deployable reaction force of border guards to help EU countries facing an unexpectedly large influx of migrants. The force, at Frontex, the EU agency for guarding the external borders, would have to be available within 24 hours of a request.
The Commission is presenting the proposal on Tuesday. It is a response to the migration crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish exclave, at the end of July.
In Ceuta, tens of thousands of people, mostly from Morocco, tried to cross the border by swimming. This led to drowning deaths and to tensions between Spain and Morocco, and between Madrid and other European capitals.
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Frontex (Europees Grens- en Kustwachtagentschap)
Frontex is the European Union agency for guarding the external borders, based in Warsaw, that coordinates border management across the EU and the Schengen area. It deploys teams of border guards and provides equipment to EU countries that need support at their external borders, including sea and coastal borders. It also helps with returning people who have no right to stay in the EU, which is why its role often comes up in debates on migration.