Yesterday, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, deployed an additional 100 border guards at the Greek land border as part of a rapid border intervention requested by Greece.
“We stand here barely a week after the Greek authorities turned to Frontex to provide more officers and more equipment to help protect their borders, which are also our common EU external borders. The presence of 100 officers from all around Europe underlines the fact that the protection of the area of the European area of freedom, security and justice is a shared responsibility of all Member States and Frontex,” Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri said during the launch of the operation in the Greek town of Orestiada.
“This rapid intervention is an important operational milestone for Frontex, which is currently dedicated to the preparation of the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps,” he added.
Expressing their solidarity with Greece, EU Member States and Schengen-Associated Countries confirmed their readiness to provide their respective contributions under the Rapid Reaction Pool of Border and Coast Guards and technical assets under the Rapid Reaction Equipment Pool complemented by additional pledges from the Technical Equipment Pool.
As part of Rapid Border Intervention Evros 2020, 100 border guard officers started their deployment yesterday at Greece’s land border. They come from 22 Member States.
Member States have also committed themselves to provide technical equipment, including vessels, maritime surveillance aircraft and Thermal-Vision Vehicles, for the Frontex maritime Rapid Border Intervention Aegean 2020.
Before launching the two rapid border intervention operations, Frontex already had more than 500 officers deployed in Greece, along with 11 vessels and other equipment. Two additional Frontex border surveillance planes began to assist Greece from above earlier this week.
The rapid border interventions will last two months and could be extended further if needed.
