EU Council authorizes negotiations with Balkan countries on Frontex cooperation

BELGRADE, Serbia

The Council of EU has decided to authorize the opening of negotiations with four Balkan countries to broaden agreements on European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) cooperation.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the council said that cooperation with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia will improve the protection of EU external borders.

"Migration challenges in the Western Balkans route don’t start at the EU borders. Cooperation with our partners, including through the deployment of Frontex staff, is essential to detect and block irregular migration movements early on," Vit Rakusan, the interior minister of Czech Republic, was quoted as saying in the statement,

The EU had already concluded agreements with Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia under the previous Frontex mandate, however, they only allowed the agency to carry out joint operations and deploy teams in the regions of those countries bordering the EU, the statement said.

An agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina had also been negotiated under similar terms but had not yet been signed.

According to Rakusan, the new mandate will allow Frontex to assist these countries to manage migratory flows, countering illegal migration, and tackling cross-border crime throughout their territory.

“New agreements will also allow Frontex staff to exercise executive powers, such as border checks and registration of persons,” the statement said.

The first agreements on border management cooperation were concluded with Albania in 2019 and with Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2020.

An agreement with North Macedonia was signed on Oct. 26, 2022.

On Wednesday, Serbia, Hungary, and Austria signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation to curb illegal migration.