Audit reveals EU border agency plagued by major problems, risks: Report

OVIEDO, Spain

Already embattled by alleged mistreatment of migrants, EU border agency Frontex is plagued by a lack of coordination and faces serious reputational risks, according to a leaked internal audit accessed by leading Spanish daily El Pais.

The 69-page audit, dated Sept. 23, details the agency’s “weaknesses” and “inconsistencies” across its missions, recruitment, planning, and follow-up. Reached by the paper, a Frontex spokesperson only said the audit was “preliminary.”

In the document, the auditors flagged the “lack of criteria that indicates whether a person is apt for the post” during physical and psychological evaluations. Frontex agents are armed, and the auditors say this poses a “high risk” not only to the agency’s reputation but also agents and the general public.

Another major flaw found by auditors was related to Frontex’s rapid interventions, through which the agency provides immediate assistance to EU states that need urgent help on their borders.

According to the document, 41.6% of agents deployed in rapid interventions said they were not properly informed about their missions. Nearly one-third said they were not even sure of the role they were supposed to play in those missions.

“Member states should clarify the added value of the deployed agents quickly, as well as how those agents should be evaluated,” said the auditors.

Alleged worker exploitation, mistreatment of migrants

Frontex has rapidly grown into the EU’s best-funded agency, with a €754 million ($733 million) budget this year. Furthermore, the EU plans to increase the force to 7,500 agents next year and to 10,000 by 2027.

Despite the hefty budget, 50% of those surveyed for the audit said the agency’s payment system does not work correctly.

In August, interpreter Mohammed Moctar started an online petition stating that Frontex “exploits their own staff” and had hired an agency offering interpreters a wage of effectively less than €2.50 per hour.

In total, the leaked audit used the phrase “put Frontex’s reputation at high risk” a total of 14 times, according to El Pais.

In recent years, Frontex has come under fire for alleged mistreatment of migrants, often endangering their lives.

A leaked investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) found that Frontex was involved in, and routinely covered up, illegal pushbacks of migrants by the Greek Coast Guard into Turkish territorial waters, according to the Der Spiegel and Le Monde newspapers.

Türkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

Earlier this year, Frontex head Fabrice Leggeri resigned amid the scandal.

Human rights groups have also documented other human rights violations on EU borders where Frontex operates.

“Frontex has repeatedly failed to take effective action when allegations of human rights violations are brought to its attention,” said Eva Cossé, Western Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Its rapid growth into an executive agency of the EU, with increased powers, funding, and legal responsibilities, makes it all the more urgent for Frontex to put in place effective tools to safeguard fundamental rights.”