The European Parliament’s chief negotiator Artis Pabriks MEP has reached an agreement with the EU Council of Ministers (ambassador level) on the setting-up of a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard Agency. The speed with which this piece of legislation has moved through the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers is unprecedented.

Artis Pabriks MEP said: "As the EU continues to face an unprecedented migration crisis, we have moved as fast as we could to secure our borders. The EU is showing that it can deliver and the EPP Group is very much a driver behind these very concrete results. The chain is only as strong as it weakest link and therefore by setting up the Border and Coast Guard Agency we have introduced a concept that the security of EU external borders is a shared responsibility among all EU countries.”

"The European Border and Coast Guard law will make sure that the EU external borders are safer and better managed, thus contributing to greater security within the Union. This is not a silver bullet that can solve the current migration crisis or restore the Schengen area overnight, but it is a very much-needed first step.”

This new Agency will help manage the crossing of EU external borders, including addressing migratory challenges and potential future threats, thereby contributing to addressing serious crime with a cross-border dimension. In short, it will ensure a high level of internal security within the Union while safeguarding the free movement of persons.

The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency is the Frontex Agency but with expanded tasks. It will have greater powers and responsibilities and will be able to provide assistance to any EU country which is faced with disproportionate migratory pressure or any other potential challenges at its external borders.

There will be an obligatory pool of 1500 border guards and a pool of technical equipment available for the new Agency to be deployed within seven days whenever needed. Crucially, if an EU country refuses to cooperate with the new Agency to an extent that this puts the proper functioning of the Schengen zone into jeopardy, there will be a possibility for the other EU countries to reintroduce temporary border controls as a last resort.

The new Agency will also establish a common vulnerability assessment methodology, including objective criteria against which the Agency shall carry out the vulnerability assessment. The vulnerability assessment is a new element which will work as a preventive measure on the basis of risk analysis. The Agency shall monitor and assess at least once a year the availability of the technical equipment, systems, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, and adequately skilled and trained staff from EU countries necessary for border control. The aim of the vulnerability assessment is for the Agency to assess the capacity and readiness of Member States to face upcoming challenges, including present and future threats and pressures at the external borders.

The law will have to be adopted by the European Council of Ministers of the Interior and Home Affairs and by the European Parliament in the coming weeks.