Frontex is tripling its forces at the EU's external border in Bulgaria

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Border fence between Bulgaria and Turkey

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Stoyan Nenov / REUTERS

The EU border protection agency Frontex wants to triple the number of its officers at Bulgaria's EU external borders with Turkey and Serbia.

From March 20th there will be another 500 to 600 Frontex officers in Bulgaria, explained agency director Hans Leijtens at the Bulgarian-Turkish border crossing Kapitan Andreevo.

Leijten and Bulgaria's Interior Minister Kalin Stojanov previously inspected the guarding of Bulgaria's land border with Turkey, the BTA news agency reported.

Bulgaria has a “very important” role in guarding the EU’s external borders, emphasized Leijtens.

The 259 kilometer long Bulgarian EU external border with Turkey on the mainland has been completely protected by a wire fence with spikes and monitored with thermal imaging cameras since 2017.

Nevertheless, migrants often cross it irregularly with the help of smugglers.

People from war and crisis areas often want to bypass the border crossings so that they are not registered in the poorest EU country, Bulgaria.

They usually travel on to Central and Western Europe, primarily being smuggled to Serbia.

The Bulgarian-Serbian border is 341 kilometers long.

Frontex not only protects the borders, but also European values, emphasized Leijtens, according to the BTA report.

Among the new Frontex officials in Bulgaria there should also be experts in human rights compliance.

Leijtens promised Bulgaria his “full support” in joining the Schengen area.

The southeastern European country is scheduled to join the border-free Schengen area from the end of March - but initially only with its air and sea borders.

The Balkan country is also seeking to lift controls at its land borders.

Criticism of Frontex

Frontex and the agency's former director, Fabrice Leggeri, have repeatedly come under heavy criticism.

Among other things, Frontex units are said to have stopped refugee boats in the Aegean and handed over asylum seekers to the Greek coast guard.

Research by SPIEGEL, Lighthouse Reports and the French newspaper Le Monde revealed that Leggeri covered up these Greek pushbacks and thereby violated his agency's regulations.

Leijtens, Leggeri's successor, promised a new beginning when he took office.

His border guards are not allowed to take part in pushbacks, he said.

However, Leijtens has not yet withdrawn from the joint operation with the Greek coast guard in the Aegean, despite a corresponding recommendation from the Frontex fundamental rights officer.

czl/dpa