For the first time, the European Union has its own uniformed service – the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps. This new border corps, composed of Frontex and EU Member States’ officers, is able to support the Member States facing challenges at their external borders at any time.
Trained by the best and equipped with the latest that technology has to offer, Frontex border and coast guards are ready for tomorrow’s challenges at the borders, helping to ensure their proper functioning.
Frontex border guards work under the command of the national authorities of the country they are deployed in.
Frontex border guards support EU and Schengen countries in tasks such as:
Frontex border guards work in operational areas at EU’s external borders. The officers may also work in non-EU country, provided it signed a Status Agreement with the EU.
Frontex border guards wear uniforms carry a service weapon and have executive powers. This means that the officers can perform tasks such as verifying a person’s identity and nationality, allowing or refusing entry into the EU, patrolling between border crossing points.
The standing corps is composed of four categories of officers:
Category 1: Border guards directly employed by Frontex as staff members and regularly deployed to border guarding missions according to their profile
Category 2: Long-term staff seconded from Member States
Category 3: Short-term staff seconded from Member States
Category 4: Reserve of EU Member States border guards that are available to Frontex for rapid border management crisis.
In total, by 2027 the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps will comprise 10 000 people, among them 3000 category 1 officers – Frontex staff. The other 7000 thousand officers will be seconded from EU Member States.
All the positions offered for recruitment will be divided into basic, intermediate and advanced levels, depending on the candidates’ professional experience and skills. As a Frontex border guard, you will have a specified function, such as border guard officer, document expert and cross-border crime detection officer.
Each of the selected candidates will receive basic training of up to six months in order to be ready for deployment in operational areas. It will ensure that the officers have the necessary skills to work together in any operational area, fully complying with the applicable EU law and ethical standards.
More about training here.
Each of the standing corps officers receives basic training in order to prepare for deployment in operational areas. It ensures that the officers have the necessary skills to work together in any particular operational area, fully complying with the applicable EU law and ethical standards.
After the basic training, standing corps officers undergo various types of specialised training throughout their career.
The officers may specialise in tasks such as detecting fraudulent documents, assisting in return operations or helping to spot stolen cars. Other officers may work in the area of gathering information or collecting data on criminal networks.
Throughout their career, standing corps officers will have the possibility to acquire new profiles in line with their experience, but also to perform new tasks giving them an opportunity to have a full experience of integrated border management.
