PURPOSE: presentation of the final accounts of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders — Frontex for the 2006 financial year.
CONTENT: Frontex was created by Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 of the Council of 26 October 2004. It became fully autonomous on 1 January 2006.
This document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of Frontex’s budget for 2006. It indicates that the Agency’s final budget amounted to 19.2 million EUR in 2006 - its first year of operation - 98.8% of which is derived from a Community subsidy and 1.2% from a subsidy from the United Kingdom.
In terms of personnel, the Agency, whose headquarters are in Warsaw (Poland) officially had 28 posts provided for in the establishment plan, of which there are 25 temporary agents and 47 further posts (seconded national experts, contract agents and employment agency staff) amounting to 72 effective posts assigned to operational, administrative and mixed tasks. Expenditures relating to personnel in 2006 amounted to 1.017 million EUR.
The Agency’s work mainly involves Member States’ activities in the field of management of external borders (support for operational cooperation, technical and operational assistance, risk analysis). Its main tasks are:
(1) coordinating operational cooperation between Member States in the field of management of external borders;
(2) assisting Member States on training of national border guards and establishing common training standards;
(3) carrying out risk analysis;
(4) following up on the development of research in control and surveillance;
(5) assisting Member States in circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance;
(6) providing Member States with the necessary support in organising joint return operations.
In 2006, the first year of the Agency’s operation, activities focused on the following:
- Operational cooperation: 15 Frontex-coordinated joint operations implemented, seven pilot projects launched.
- Training: the Common Core Curriculum revised and developed; establishment of a network of partnership academies and training coordinators; training programme for 3rd countries and ‘falsified documents’ tool developed; training standards for joint return operations and tactical training for helicopter pilots developed, European Training Day co-organised.
- Risk analysis: five risk analysis reports issued; one public law enforcement bulletin published, the common integrated risk analysis model updated; Frontex Risk analysis network (MS’ experts) established.
- Research & development: two reports published, four bulletins issued, one joint workshop with Joint Research Centre.
- Assistance to the Member States: coordination of two assistance operations.
- Assistance to return operations: three joint return operations.
The Agency’s full accounts are available at the following address : http://www.frontex.europa.eu/finance/