EU fact of the week
date: 14/09/2018
European Border and Coast Guard agency
Frontex – the European Border and Coast Guard agency based in Warsaw, Poland – ensures safe and well-functioning external borders. The agency currently has around 1,700 officers deployed at the EU’s sea, land and air borders, assisting EU member states in surveillance, registration, finger printing and security checks. In case of a border emergency, Frontex now has a rapid reaction pool at its disposal composed of 1,500 officers, as well as additional sea vessels, aircraft, vehicles and other equipment. Frontex officers are also involved in search and rescue operations, which have led to the saving of 33,000 lives in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean between January and November 2017 alone.