2. FRONTEX Agency

FRONTEX Agency

FrontexFRONTEX European Agency (European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of Member States of European Union) was founded in 2005 (became operational), under the provisions of Article 2 of Council of Europe Regulation no. 2007 / 2004, having the following objectives:

  • to assure the operational coordination between Member States for the management of external borders;
  • to provide assistance to the Member States in training the border policemen, including by establishing common training standards;
  • to carry out the risk analysis;
  • to follow the development of relevant research for the control and surveillance of the external borders;
  • to provide assistance to the Member States at the external borders and to ensure the support necessary to organize joint operations.

Also, the FRONTEX Agency is involved in the border security by ensuring the coordination of the Member States actions in implementing the community measures on external borders management.

The FRONTEX operations are based on risk analysis to counter illegal migration, which entails trust, support and active participation of Member States, and the spirit of FRONTEX is to coordinate the cooperation of the Member States in securing the European Union external borders.

To develop and to intensify the partnership relations between Romania and FRONTEX Agency (European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of Member States of European Union) have been taken several important steps, the operational cooperation being one of the most important priorities

Romania was accepted as observer state with a view to assist at the works carried out by the FRONTEX Agency, in 2005.

When becoming member of the European Union, Romania, through Romanian Border Police, became also full rights member of FRONTEX Agency.

The Partnership Framework Agreement was signed on 13.06.2007 by the following authorities:

  • The Ministry of Administration and Interior;
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
  • Ministry of Public Finance;
  • Ministry of Justice.

In order to ease up the communication with the Romanian Border Police and with the other institutions of Romania which are interested in promoting and ensuring a correct management of the external borders of the European Union in the responsibility area, upon the request of FRONTEX Agency, the FRONTEX National Contact Point was founded.

The National Contact Point activates starting with 15 February 2007, at the General Inspectorate of the Border Police headquarters, within the Service of European Affairs and International Relations.

On 12.10.2009, a new Partnership Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Administration and Interior and Frontex Agency was signed with an availability of 4 years. At the same time, the memorandum of "Negotiation and Signing of the Partnership Framework Agreement on Training, between G.I.B.P. and Frontex Agency" is in the process of ministry approval.

The cooperation with FRONTEX is structured, mainly, on the following components:

  1. Participation of the experts from Romania in Joint Operations;
  2. Providing rapid operative assistance for a short period of time, in the form of Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABIT);
  3. European Patrol Network;
  4. The structure of risk analysis of the Romanian Border Police- full rights member of FRAN;
  5. Training the border police officers;
  6. Technical equipment.

From the beginning of 2008, according to an agreement signed between the General Inspectorate of Border Police and the FRONTEX European Agency, the Initial and Continuous Training School of the Border Police Personnel from Iasi has been certificated as a Partner Academy of FRONTEX (Partnership Academy).

At the level of this R.B.P. education institution, there are organized training courses of border policemen from different European states, under the aegis of FRONTEX, which allow, besides the experience exchange in border field between EU Member States, also a unitary specialization of the workers, regarding the surveillance and the control of the border crossing.

In 2007, the Romanian Border Police participated in 20 joint operations organized under the aegis of FRONTEX Agency, on all types of borders both as host state (15 foreign officers), and as guest state (32 Romanian experts):

  • at the green border: 10 (3 as "host state");
  • at the blue border: 5;
  • at the air border: 5 (2 as "host state").

In 2008, the Romanian Border Police participated in 16 joint operations organized under the aegis of FRONTEX Agency, on all types of borders both as host state (59 foreign officers), and as guest state (77 Romanian experts):

  • at the green border: 6 (3 as "host state");
  • at the blue border: 5;
  • at the air border: 5 (3 as "host state").

In 2009, the Romanian Border Police participated in 20 joint operations organized under the aegis of FRONTEX Agency, on all types of borders both as host state and as guest state.

Taking into account the type of border, R.B.P. participated as follows:

  • at the land borders:
    • as host state: 5 land operations to which 75 experts from the Member States participated and 5 experts from third countries (Moldova and Ukraine) participated as observers;
    • as guest state, the R.B.P. participated in 4 operations with 32 experts. 4 representatives from the Romanian Border Police participated in Poland within an exercise intended for training the special forces at the land borders. 2 R.B.P. representatives participated in Slovakia to other RABIT exercise;
    • within the Focal Points Joint Operation, the Romanian Border Police participates with the following focal points:
      • Permanent Focal Points:
        • Galati - Road Border Crossing Point Galati;
        • Oradea - Border Crossing Point Bors;
      • Temporary Focal Points:
        • Iasi - Border Crossing Point Sculeni;
        • Timisoara - Border Crossing Point Stamora Moravita;
      • Radauti - Border Crossing Point Siret;
  • at the air borders:
    • as host state: 3 at the air borders, with the participation of 32 foreign experts;
    • as guest state, R.B.P. participated in 4 air operations with 26 experts seconded in the main E.U. airports;
  • at the sea borders:
    • as guest state, R.B.P. participated in 3 maritime operations with 34 seconded border policemen;
    • as host state: 1 at the maritime border, with the participation of 2 foreign experts;

A very important aspect was the maritime ship of the Romanian Border Police type P157 - MAI 1101 (which may be found within the List of Technical Equipments at the disposal of Frontex (CRATE)), with a crew of 24 of border policemen (5 officers and 19 agents), who participated in the "EPN - POSEIDON 2009" Joint Operation, on the territory of Greece, in the area of Lesvos island, having as main purpose fighting illegal migration at the external maritime borders of the European Union between Greece and Turkey.

There were 19 patrolling missions within which 7 cases of illegal migration with 197 persons (representing 49,12% of a total of 401 solved cases at the level of Lesvos island, in August by 9 participating FRONTEX ships) were detected. 6 RIB type boats were also detained.

R.B.P. participated also in several working groups organized by the maritime sector with 12 officers.

RABIT/FJST/CRATE - RABIT National Pool (Rapid Border Intervention Teams) of the Romanian Border Police is made up of 25 experts which participated in 2008 in initial training courses, and the FJST pool (Frontex Joint Support Teams) is made up of 42 Romanian border policemen.

CRATE - Centralized Records of Available Technical Equipment - R.B.P. placed at the disposal of CRATE a patrolling maritime ship Project P 157 and 2 cutters for port surveillance and control Project R 1120, and for 2010 other equipments will also be included depending on R.B.P. endowment and Agency's necessities.

During 2009, 6 FRAN meetings were organized with the participation of 7 national experts and 1 CIRAM (Common Integrated Risk Analysis Model) with the participation of 2 national experts. 3 courses and 2 working groups with the participation of 7 national experts.

Following the commitments undertaken by signing the Partnership Declaration on training issues and the fact that on this occasion the School for Initial and Continuous Training of the R.B.P. Personnel Iasi became Frontex Partnership Academy, at the level of the R.B.P. education institutions, during 2009, 7 training activities were organized under the direct coordination of Frontex Training Unit, with the participation of 78 M.S. experts. At the training courses organized at the level of the Partner Academies from other Member States, 15 Romanian Border Police experts participated.

At the same time, during this period, 9 Romanian Border Police experts were involved in the continuation of project development in the filed of training, as trainers or sub-leaders, participating in all activities organized by Frontex Training Unit in this field.

As a result of the actions taken, the Romanian Border Police is appreciated as one of the most active structures at the FRONTEX Agency level.

 

The Romanian Border Police s the specialized state institution which carries out the attributions appertaining to it and referring to the surveillance and control of the crossing of the state border ... read more