Frontex eyes mandate expansion for cross-border deportations

Olivier Onidi, deputy-director general of the EU Commission’s home affairs department, confirmed the legislative push on Thursday. While Onidi insisted the agency would not receive a free mandate for these operations, he noted that future returns would rely on formalized international agreements ratified by EU member states and the European Parliament. The Commission aims to codify these processes to ensure they meet existing legal standards for human rights and jurisdiction.

This expansion arrives as Frontex continues a period of aggressive growth. The Warsaw-based agency, which spent €163m on return operations via eTravel SA last year, plans to triple its standing corps of border guards to 30,000 by next year. The forthcoming proposal, expected in late September, will also address data-sharing protocols and enhanced accountability mechanisms. These changes are designed to align with the bloc's new asylum rules, specifically targeting the screening of individuals arriving at external borders. The move follows a recent push by the Greens to reform the agency's governance, reflecting ongoing scrutiny of its rising budget and influence.