The official story of the establishment of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (FRONTEX) - a tale not lacking in conflict and controversy

(Helena Ekelund, University of Nottingham)

Traditionally border control has been the responsibility of the nation state and cooperation at the European level has been limited. However, starting with the creation of the Justice and Home Affairs pillar at the Treaty of Maastricht, cooperation on border control management has been increasingly institutionalised within the EU. Asylum and immigration policies were transferred to the first pillar in the Treaty of Amsterdam, and in 2004 the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (FRONTEX) was created.

This paper begins with a brief presentation of FRONTEX. Using a method of process-tracing the author then proceeds to entangle the decision-making process leading up to the establishment of FRONTEX. The views of different actors involved in the process as presented in official documents are outlined. The analysis shows that whilst EU institutions agree that the previous arrangements for border management cooperation were unsatisfactory, opinions differ greatly about the institutional design chosen and the tasks delegated to FRONTEX. Furthermore, the European Parliament expresses dissatisfaction with the decision-making process itself.