Today, 16.09.2021, a delegation of the European Agency for Border Police and Coast Guard (Frontex), led by Mr. Fabrice Leggeri, executive director, was on a working visit to our country.
The main objective of the visit was to meet in the field with the participants directly involved in "Multipurpose Maritime Operation in the Black Sea 2021" (MMO), an operation organized on the Black Sea, in Romania and Bulgaria, under the coordination of Frontex Agency.
The director of the agency met, in Mangalia, with the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Quaestor General of Police Bogdan Despescu and with the Inspector General of the Romanian Border Police, Mr. Quaestor General of Police Liviu Bute.
On this occasion, discussions were held on institutional collaboration, addressing other issues of interest to both the Romanian Border Police and the Frontex Agency. Also, the Romanian officials and the FRONTEX representative were present at an boarding and control exercise organized by the Black Sea Coast Guard, within the ongoing maritime operation in Romania and Bulgaria.
The Multi-Purpose Maritime Operation in the Black Sea 2021 (MMO Black Sea 2021) takes place between 31.03.-06.10.2021, under the coordination of the European Agency for Border Police and Coast Guard (FRONTEX). The member states participating in the operation are Romania and Bulgaria, through the Border Police of the two states.
The Black Sea 2021 MMO has as its specific operational objective the prevention, detection and combating of illegal migration, illegal fishing activities, marine pollution and other cross-border crime.
The Romanian Border Police hosts such an operation for the 4th time, the main purpose being the implementation of the competencies under the responsibility of the Coast Guard structures, as follows
- Surveillance of maritime borders, including search and rescue (SAR) support;
- Imposing the law in the area of competence;
- Fisheries control through joint surveillance and verification following the EFCA Joint Deployment Plan for the Black Sea;
- Environmental protection.
As part of the operation, the Frontex Agency, together with EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency) and EFCA (European Fisheries Control Agency), will provide support to national authorities performing coastguard functions in order to increase awareness of the situation by providing services and information, and increase the reaction capacity.
In its operational activities in 2020 and 2021, R.B.P. used means of air mobility that ensured the surveillance of the maritime space within the competence of our institution on the Black Sea, consisting of unmanned aerial systems on board, operated remotely - UAS type (Unmanned Aerial System), used on board the project ship OPV (Light RPAS system), respectively from the headquarters of the Mangalia Ship Group (MALE RPAS-Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System). Both services are offered to our institution by EMSA.
Backgroud information
Starting with 2007, when the partnership agreement was signed with FRONTEX Agency (European Agency for the Management of EU Borders), the Romanian Border Police supports all areas of activity of the Agency, being involved in its activity, at strategic level (through the member with full rights within the Agency's Management Board – the decision-making forum) up to the operational level, by seconding experts with the professional profile mentioned by the Agency.
In 2021, the Romanian Border Police was involved in 16 joint operations and a rapid border intervention operation, organized under the auspices of FRONTEX, with the participation of 200 border guards, experts in various profiles and crew members. During Frontex operations, three maritime patrol vessels, canine crews, patrol trucks, thermal imaging trucks and canine technical transport trucks were seconded.
The involvement of the Border Police in the activities of the FRONTEX Agency consists in participating with experts / technical equipment in joint operations, organizing joint operations in our country, providing operational assistance for limited periods of time, in the form of border intervention teams, participation with means of naval mobility in the activities of preventing and combating illegal migration at the external maritime borders of the European Union, participating in the risk analysis at European level with the help of specialists from the specialized structure of the Romanian Border Police, as well as by training police officers. border during specially organized sessions / courses.
It is important to note that since the beginning of this year, Romania has benefited from the Agency's support on the border with Serbia. Practically, in the area of responsibility of the Territorial Inspectorate of the Timişoara Border Police, a joint operation is carried out, which aims to prevent and combat illegal migration on the respective segment of the external border of the European Union.
Within a multi-annual average, Romania, through the Romanian Border Police, is in the top of the Member States, in terms of contribution with experts and means of land and naval mobility, in the operations carried out under the auspices of Frontex.
