Twenty Years of Frontex: Promoting Border (Un)Safety?

Border violence, human rights violations, and the reinforcement of borders at the expense of human lives – These are just a few of the serious allegations that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, better known as Frontex, has faced over the years. But how did we get to this point?

Twenty years ago, Frontex was initially formed to support EU Member States and Schengen countries by “promoting cooperation” and “enhancing border security.” Since then, it seems its role has expanded far beyond its original mandate. 

Over the years, Frontex has been implicated in numerous cases for failing to prevent and perpetrating border violence and alleged human rights abuses. To name one, in 2020, a joint report by an international group of investigative journalists revealed that Frontex was directly linked to pushbacks of people on the move from Greece to Turkey. The report provided proof that on April 28, twenty-two people were placed on a life raft near the Greek island of Samos and towed by the Greek Coast Guard back towards Turkish waters, where they were abandoned at sea. Frontex surveillance planes live-streamed this incident to its headquarters, yet no action was taken.

Recently, Samos has been at the center of tragic shipwrecks, where numerous lives of people seeking refuge were lost or severely put at risk. Such events are a striking example of how Frontex’s normalization of border violence, together with the EU-Turkey deal, plays a huge part in restricting freedom of movement and condoning human rights violations. 

In response to these violations, activists, NGOs on the field, rescue ship captains and crew, and over 80 human rights organizations across the globe launched an international campaign calling for Frontex to be defunded and dismantled. At the same time, the movement demands an end to migrant detention by EU forces and protests Frontex’s role as “both an avid promoter and key enforcer of Europe’s violent policies against people on the move.”

The campaign underlines that allegations and criticisms against Frontex are not isolated but emblematic of a much deeper issue: it has evolved from a border control agency into a tool that reinforces anti-migration practices at the expense of fundamental human rights. Rather than protecting people, Frontex's activities have become deeply intertwined with a deterrence strategy, prioritizing security measures over the safety and dignity of those seeking refuge.

Alessia Contiello, Project Manager here at Samos Volunteers, after working on the island for two years has stated:

“Frontex’s mandate in the Aegean islands shows the real face of the European border governance that is structured around a high securitization of the borders and a de-humanization of people on the move. For years, we witnessed on a daily basis formal and informal practices, both in the sea and on land, that are an attempt to remove dignity and apply control on the asylum seekers community.”

In 2021, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, published a report, finding that Frontex ‘generally disregarded’ reports of violations from NGOs and failed to address internal concerns about abuses in EU Member States properly. 

Such a statement is profoundly disconcerting for us as an NGO on the ground at one of the EU’s external borders. It symbolizes the lack of will by governments and official authorities to collaborate with civil societies and NGOs on the ground, which should all be united to safeguard human rights and protect human life. 

These findings point out that Frontex has been complicit in a system that turns its back on people on the move. The normalisation of border violence, lack of accountability, and inaction are endangering countless lives every day.

As we mark twenty years of Frontex, we must ask ourselves: does Frontex truly serve the values of justice, solidarity, and compassion that the European Union claims to uphold? Or is it reinforcing policies that prioritize security and control over human dignity and protection?

As a grassroots NGO working on Samos since 2015, it is saddening to see that border violence and human rights violations are still happening and don’t show any sign of decrease. Until then, we won’t stop calling for better border control and safe passages for people on the move. 

Written by Gaia Polidori
Communications Officer

Edited by Dalia Impiglia
Communications , Advocacy and Fundraising Coordinator