FRONTEX (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) forces are being deployed at the Skopje-Greece border to contribute more effectively to Skopje’s border management in terms of immigration flows and tackling irregular immigration.

The deployment of FRONTEX started from the Skopje-Greece border, where around 100 European Agency police officers, together with Skopje police officers, will patrol along the border between the two countries. FRONTEX is also expected to be deployed on the borders of Skopje with Serbia and Albania at a later stage.

This joint operation is planned to last until January 24, 2024 (with possible extension) and its purpose, as stated, is to support the national authorities in Skopje in border control and immigration management, including prevention, investigation of, and dealing with cross-border crime as well as in the collection and exchange of operational intelligence and the identification of potential risks and threats.

At the relevant ceremony held in Skopje, the state’s Minister of Interior, Oliver Spasovski, noted that this deployment sends an important message that the state is not alone in dealing with illegal immigration, adding that modern security challenges require partnerships and a common response.

Skopje is the fifth country outside the European Union where FRONTEX deploys forces, after Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The agreement on the deployment of FRONTEX in Skopje was signed at the end of October 2022 in the capital, during the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Source: CNN Greece

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