Frontex set for new powers to deport beyond EU borders in latest overhaul – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — The European Commission will unveil a sweeping overhaul of EU border agency Frontex on Oct. 27, turning it into a fully-fledged “European return agency,” according to two EU officials familiar with the proposal.

The legislative proposal, which will revamp the Warsaw-based agency’s mandate, will focus on three key areas: strengthening its role in deportations, improving its ability to anticipate and respond to border crises, and boosting its operational capacity without poaching border guards from countries.

At the heart of the reform is an ambition to give Frontex a much more prominent role in returning people with no legal right to remain in the EU, including new powers to carry out return operations beyond the bloc’s territory, said the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss information not yet in the public domain.