The European Border and Coast Guard standing corps has been formed by the EU to ‘represent the entity at its borders’.
The force is expected to number 10,000-strong by 2027.
According to a release on precreding the formation of the corps, starting with 5,000 operational staff in 2021, the standing corps will be fully operational by 2027 with 10,000 staff. In addition, a rapid reserve pool will be created for deployment in emergencies.
“The standing corps will consist of border and coast guards employed by the agency as well as staff seconded on a mandatory basis by EU countries.”
https://twitter.com/Frontex/status/1348653085422460929
Roberta Metsola said:
“This law will transform the way the European Border and Coast Guard Agency deals with migration, including ensuring 10 000 new border guards and staff are in place; boosting the fight against cross-border crime; protecting fundamental rights and aiding the efficient return of those who are not eligible for protection.
Our guiding principle has been to be fair with those in need of protection, firm with those who are not eligible and harsh with those who seek to exploit the most vulnerable people on the planet. Citizens asked and we delivered – in record time.”
The European Parliament say that the new organisation will be able to support return procedures in member states, for example by identifying irregularly staying non-EU nationals and by assisting national authorities to obtain travel documents.
Just for a bit of perspective and balance here, I recommend reading the following tweets.
Perhaps the truth is it’s not an EU Army but could easily lead to one…
— Carry On Strategy (@CarryStrategy) January 11, 2021
Friends and allies.
Agree. Totally their own decision to do this!
More legions for the empire.
The question here is, why should people care as the UK is no longer part of the EU? The Brexiters’ will bang on about it being an EU ‘Army’ whilst the Remainers’ will explain how we could have been part of an EU security blanket. Either way now, it’s irrelevant unless we as holiday makers decide to stay in Belgium for longer than 90 days without a visa…
I don’t.
We are part of 5 Eyes, which is not an EU entity, and NATO, which is also not an EU entity. There are other security and intelligence agreements beyond the EU ones.
It is all well and good being part of an EU security blanket, which would have benefits, too many millions had no wish to be a part of the EU super state that is slowly forming, bit by bit, year on year, as a price of that blanket.
We should be friends and allies with Europe, of which we are a part.
Europe and EU are different things.
Good luck to the EU if they want to do this.
The EU remains one of our most significant international and interlinked partners geographically, politically, economically etc. We should care.
“decide to stay in Belgium for longer than 90 days without a visa”
Good grief, why on earth would anyone want to stay there for more than 90 days!
To be fair, the third Reich tried to offer us the benefits of its security blanket Steve, let’s see if this forms the nucleus of fourth Reich’s…..
Perhaps to keep the inmates in??
Down the rabbit hole to a fully-unified Eurostate.
It does show the mindset doesn’t it. It somewhat proves the point that the EU isn’t thinking about trans-European collaboration, drawing in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK. This is about solidifying statehood.
And this is what saddens me. I voted for Brexit reluctantly. I like European collaboration and I could tolerate the red tape and bureaucracy but the trajectory is clear. Harmonise, consolidate, comply, conform become a singular centralised political entity. And, I didn’t want that. If that mindset didn’t reside within the EU I would have voted to stay, but it does and so I feel my hand was forced.
After the dust settles I think history will show we made the right choice, it might be frustrating getting there but the history of “empire” in Europe isn’t a nice one.
Spot on, every single key stroke (except the reluctantly bit!)
I’m a Brexiteer but I wouldn’t mind us contributing to a Common European Defence force under joint UK, EEA, EU and NATO control. If everyone in Europe diverted 0.5bn to this from their own defence budgets for European defence it would be large enough to add real clout in this local theatre, some EU states may want to divert more as this is the limit of their need.
Moreover it would allow other states like the UK and France to develop their other capabilities.
I see this as the future of Global Britain, collaboration and cooperation with friends for mutual benefit.
Half a billlion for some of the smaller states like the Baltics is basically their entire defence budget.
Yep. Why wouldn’t they go all in? If you’ve determined that you are only interested in European defence why wouldn’t you, so long as they DO defend you when the chips are down?
Lots of advantages and disadvantages to that idea.
On the latter:
I do however think that the EU needs to be able to act as a cohesive military/foreign policy body in order to be seen as the equal to the likes of the US, China etc.
Oh No. Just more money to the EU bureaucracy……just like they wanted to tie us to PESCO. No thanks. Let the EU states start paying for their own defence. For the last century (and more) Europe has sponged off the US and UK when it comes to defence. Recall France still has paid its WW1 debts off to the US and UK!
Not paid.
Ah, the UK and US are the ones b!tching about being locked out of the PESCO contracts…
Thunderbirds are GO !!!!
Another Territorialheer. This only leads in one direction, baby steps…
Looks a smart practical uniform, bit puzzled why they have English on the insignia though.
The are going to be active in Gibraltar now that they have joined Schengen, also might be in NI, not sure who the EU is using there at the moment, it’s also most likely just a sample.
10’000 strong with a reserve for rapid deployment in emergencies.
Using people ‘Mandatoraly” seconded from their home nations…
Nice…
How will this go down in ROI?
True, and what about Italy, Poland and Hungary?
When National vetos have gone the way of the Dodo in the EU regarding security (by 2030 probably), Ireland won’t have a choice, their neutral stance will be voided and they will have little say in the matter.
This is a border force, not a military… Unless you are suggesting that the UK is going to send it’s Border Patrol forces to a war?
A border force? Given they are likely to be in NI just fine thanks, how are you going to deal with them since they are the ones going to be used in Gibraltar now that it’s joined Schengen?
My point is, the ROI is neutral. It may run up against the same situation as with the UK 1939-45 namely just supposing the EU had a confrontation with someone and the UK decided for once to remain neutral. The chances are the EU as an Imperial power would ask for bases on Irish soil. How would that work once they have a Kreigsforz?
I know Gibraltar, and can rely on the experiences of the Gibraltarians to handle it OK.
Interesting development.
What the European migrant crisis over the last decade has shown us that boarder control has fallen on states at the periphery, such as Croatia and Italy, while countries further north and west have had to invest little in defending their own boarders.
Potentially, the development of an EU wide boarder force goes some way to rebalance this.
And what would the potential army do that NATO does not?
Man the guard towers and stop the inmates from escaping David…..
I think I might have seen some already at the Larne ferry terminal….
The most interesting part is this is imposed on EU citizens ! They have no say over this nor will get a vote on EU membership. I’m glad we live in a democracy that has allowed the British people to chose their destiny regardless whether one voted out or in. It seems like we have 2 tier democracy in Europe one being Tier 1 UK style free choice and tier 2 EU style imposing no choice for citizens authoritarian. We must not close our eyes to this developments in the EU as this affects NATO role . ✌️
It has been voted by European parlement.. and this one is elected by europeans citizens.. that is democracy as well!
It is, sort off. Trouble is it’s a restrictive
group democracy, for the common good.
In the UK we have sovereign democracy, totally accountable to the British people.
I’m afraid EU membership means you’ve sadly surrendered this….
EU democracy is more akin to shareholders voting rights in a big corporation….
Phew thank god everyone in the UK gets what they want… I’m sure the Scots dont feel like the UK isnt a “restrictive group democracy for the common good.”
Interesting point Dern, we have Sovereign democracy in Great Britain, accountable entirely to the British people and referendums that are taken as read, unlike the poor citizens of the EU, where an individual members democracy is being increasingly diluted for the common good.
One can quite see why the SNP feel such an affiliation for the EU, they have a similar contempt for ‘the wrong referendum results’.
Love the way you say ‘The Scots’, by the way, reinforcing the illusion that the SNP and Scots people are one and the same thing and they all think the same.
Quite wrong….
While I’ll not comment on whether this is a slippery slope towards an EU army, I do think that a combined border guard/coastguard is a good idea; I can’t help but feel that we have too many agencies and forces involved in what should be a fairly straightforward scope of work.
Alba…poor quality budget electrical items….not reliable but ok for those who dont like quality.
Well thats if you do and its a long road to get there if you could, you wouldn’t gain much by leaving the UK either.
The current EU Frontier Force is fairly emasculated and can’t do anything with decision making being centralised so I don’t expect this to be any different. They’re certainly not going to be invited into Orban’s Hungary to carry out ‘duties’ there.
Love the International Rescue uniform by the way.
Not going to happen am Scottish and proud to be British leave one union to join another NO.
Very, very bad.
Indeed.
Why?
We should reach out to certain EU countries that are going to be unhappy with this.
All on the QT you understand, to see if we can help them Euxit. Glad we are out of their prison. Only UK, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are free.
You do get that Frontex has been developed due to demands by the nations, also the other three nations have far closer relations to the EU than the UK does.
So do nations get to keep their own coastguard/border patrol or are these subsumed into this EU one?
Yeah all of them remain the same, however this is a force to supplement nations that have in the past been overwhelmed due to events like the Refugee Crisis.
I would say that the better the EU manages its borders security the better it is for the U.K. Having weak neighbours is not good for you own security.
Confiscating ham sandwiches to keep the good citizens of the EU safe…
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sandwich-brexit-netherlands-intl-scli-gbr/index.html
The brave Dutch Border Guards who were oddly absent in the 1940s as RAF bombers delivered food and sweets to the starving Dutch populace…
It’s the same for any third nation entering the EU, no different at the Eastern or Balkan border areas, what’s the problem, thats what the UK choose to be?
Bit of irony, Frontex are the ones that are going to be used in Gibraltar now that it’s joining Schengen, think it was a compromise between Spain and Gibraltar over who does customs checks now.