The European Commission has called for an increase in the size of the border agency Frontex to 30,000 employees as part of a strategy aimed at protecting Europe from hybrid attacks, cybercrime, organized crime, and terrorist threats.
On Tuesday, European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen presented the Commission’s proposal in Strasbourg, advocating for more resources for law enforcement agencies.
The strategic document proposes expanding the EU’s border service, Frontex, to 30,000 personnel. Under current plans, the agency’s standing corps is expected to reach 10,000 staff members by 2027.
This strategy, which is more of a broad plan than a set of specific legislative proposals, follows two recent defense and preparedness initiatives that have shown the EU increasingly taking responsibility for security.
“Our security landscape is very concerning. When we look at our security threats, we see that they are far more transnational today… A national response alone is not enough,” Virkkunen said in an interview.
The European Commission has also called for more resources for Europol, the EU’s police agency, and has proposed giving it a mandate to combat hybrid threats. According to the plan, law enforcement agencies would gain greater access to data.
However, these plans are likely to raise concerns among privacy advocates. The EU’s proposed legislation to combat online child sexual abuse material has long been stalled, as EU member states struggle to agree on whether private messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal should be required to share user conversations with law enforcement.
Any attempt to implement similar measures through other legal mechanisms could face the same hurdles, although Virkkunen insists that people’s privacy will be protected.
