Brussels, 15 May 2023
The Council today adopted a decision to sign an agreement with Montenegro on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). The agreement will allow joint operations to be organised and Frontex border management teams to be deployed in Montenegro, subject to the country’s agreement.
Frontex has an important role to play in ensuring the EU’s borders are safe. Stronger cooperation between Frontex and Montenegro will enhance security at the EU’s external borders.
Gunnar Strömmer, Swedish minister for justice
Thanks to the agreement, Frontex will be able to assist Montenegro with managing migratory flows, countering illegal immigration, and tackling cross-border crime.
Background
Since the adoption of a new European Border and Coast Guard Agency regulation in 2019, Frontex can assist countries it signs agreements with throughout their territory and not only in the regions bordering the EU, as was the case with the previous mandate. The regulation also allows Frontex staff to exercise executive powers, such as border checks and registration of persons.
This agreement will replace the current agreement between Montenegro and Frontex, which dates back to 2020 (and which was agreed before the entry into force of the new European Border and Coast Guard Agency regulation).
Frontex has border management cooperation agreements in place with Albania (2019) and Serbia (2020) under the previous rules and with Moldova (2022) and North Macedonia (2023) under the new rules.
Next steps
The agreement will be provisionally applied from 1 July 2023. Once the European Parliament has given its consent to the agreement it can be finally concluded by the Council.
Source – EU Council