FRONTEX and fundamental rights: reflections in the light of recent practice

• Pages: 279-297
• Author: Simone Marinai

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14.

FRONTEX and fundamental rights:

reections in the light of recent practice

S M*

Sumario: I. Background: FRONTEX’S increased operational powers and the increased risk of

involvement in violations of migrants’ fundamental rights.–II. Legal remedies against

FRONTEX action.–III. Accountability mechanisms.–IV. Concluding observations.

RESUMEN

The increased operational powers attributed to the European Border and Coast Guard

(Frontex) have made it increasingly urgent to identify mechanisms for monitoring respect

for fundamental rights in the Agency’s actions. In this paper, the Agency’s external control

mechanisms and the implementation practice that has developed in recent years have been

addressed. Thus, the external judicial and non-judicial mechanisms have been analysed

separately in order to assess the adequacy of existing instruments to ensure effective protection of

the fundamental rights of migrants with which Frontex interacts in the performance of the tasks

entrusted to it.

Keywords : Frontex, European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Fundamental Rights,

Accountability Mechanisms.

* Associate Professor of EU Law, Department of Law, University of Pisa, mail: simone.marinai@

unipi.it.

This work, updated as of November 2024, has been conducted within the framework of the R+D Project

funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, «Inmigración marítima, Seguridad y protección

de valores europeos en la región del Estrecho de Gibraltar», PID2020-114923RB-100, I.P. Dr. Miguel Acosta Sánchez.

S M

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ABSTRACT

El aumento de las competencias operativas atribuidas a la Guardia Europea de Fronteras y

Costas (Frontex) ha hecho cada vez más urgente la identificación de mecanismos de control del

respeto de los derechos fundamentales en las actuaciones de la Agencia. En este trabajo se han

abordado los mecanismos de control externo de la Agencia y la práctica de aplicación que se ha

desarrollado en los últimos años. Así, se han analizado por separado los mecanismos externos

judiciales y no judiciales con el fin de evaluar la adecuación de los instrumentos existentes para

garantizar la protección efectiva de los derechos fundamentales de los migrantes con los que

Frontex interactúa en el desempeño de las tareas que tiene encomendadas.

Palabras clave: Frontex, Agencia Europea de la Guardia de Fronteras y Costas, Derechos

fundamentales, Mecanismos de rendición de cuentas.

I. BACKGROUND: FRONTEX’S INCREASED OPERATIONAL POWERS

AND THE INCREASED RISK OF INVOLVEMENT IN VIOLATIONS OF

MIGRANTS’ FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

The mandate of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency was significantly

extended by the adoption of Regulation 2019/1896 1. Indeed, the operational and

executive powers of the Agency have been increased. The formation of a permanent

corps of 10,000 border guards with executive powers was envisaged, with the capacity

to assist Member States in the management of their external borders. Frontex now

has the capacity to organise and coordinate joint operations, pilot projects and border

interventions in order to support the Member States of the Union in the management

of their external borders. It was also given increased competences in the field of return

of migrants’ procedures and the possibility to deploy staff in operational activities on

the territory of third states that do not share common borders with Member States

1 Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2019

on the European Border and Coast Guard and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1052/2013 and (EU) 2016/1624,

in OJEU L 295, 14.11.2019, p. 1. For an overview of Frontex’s functions see among others F, M., Frontex and

Human Rights: Responsibility in ‘Multi-Actor Situations’ under the ECHR and EU Public Liability Law, OUP,

Oxford, 2018; A S, M.A., “Reglamento 2019/1896/UE sobre la guardia europea de fronteras

y costas: ¿Frontex 3.0?”, IEEE, Documento de Opinión No. 111, 2019, pp. 646-666; V, D., Le frontiere

esterne dell’Unione Europea, Cacucci, Bari, 2020, p. 93 ss.; A P, T., La intervención directa de la

Guardia de Fronteras y Costas: de la mera coordinación a la actuación subsidiaria en las fronteras exteriores de

la Unión Europea, Iustel, Madrid, 2023; R, G., The European Integrated Border Management. Frontex,

Human Rights and International Responsibility, Hart Publishing, Oxford, 2024, p. 33 ff. See also Report from

the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the evaluation of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896

on the European Border and Coast Guard, including a review of the permanent corps, doc. COM (2024) 75

final, 2.2.2024.