Bigger Frontex, Smaller Fundamental Rights: Digitalisation and Externalisation in EU Border Governance

Mariana Gkliati, Tilburg University Marloes Streppel, Leiden UniversityPhoto credit: Francesco Placco, via Wikimedia Commons Introduction On 27 October 2026, the European Commission proposed two new Regulations expanding the mandate of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) Agency, Frontex: an amendment to the EBCG Regulation and a new Regulation on the Digitalisation of Returns. The Commission envisages a substantial budget increase for the agency, allocating €11.8 billion for 2028–2034, almost double its current allocation. Its operational capacity would expand through a gradual increase of the Standing Corps to 30,000 officers by 2041 (6,000 Frontex staff, 7,000 nationally seconded officers, and a new 17,000-strong European Border and Return Reserve). Frontex would also have easier access to state-of-the-art equipment and technology, becoming the central purchasing body also for advanced digital and AI-enabled technologies. The proposal’s opening paragraph begins by…

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