EU Commission proposes stronger Frontex with standing corps of 30,000

The European Commission proposed on Oct. 27, 2026, to strengthen Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency, by reinforcing its capacity to protect the bloc’s external borders and turning it into the EU’s central actor for returns, the Commission said.

Under the proposal, Frontex’s standing corps would gradually increase to 30,000 officers, according to the Commission. It would be made up of the agency’s own staff, doubled to 6,000; a new European Border and Return Reserve of 17,000 officers who would remain at the disposal of member states; and 7,000 officers seconded from member states. The increase would be phased in until 2041, the Commission said.

The proposal also includes a Return Coordination Centre, a Quick Reaction Force that could be deployed at the external border at very short notice, and an Online Monitoring and Response Centre with a mandate to monitor publicly accessible social media content. Frontex would also be able to help carry out returns from one third country to another, subject to an agreement with the country concerned, the Commission said.

“Europe decides who comes to our Union and under what circumstances,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The Commission said illegal border crossings have more than halved over the past two years and the return rate has risen to over 30%. It also proposed a regulation to digitalize return, readmission and reintegration procedures. The proposals now need the agreement of the European Parliament and the Council.