Frontex, as the European Union's border agency, is expanding its activities to combat illegal migration. The European Commission introduced new programs on Tuesday to reform this agency, which includes increasing its powers and capacities in the area of returning individuals who are present in the EU without authorization.
Expansion of Frontex's Powers
According to this program, Frontex will soon have greater responsibility in the area of returning illegal migrants and will be able to carry out return actions even outside the borders of the European Union. These changes are designed to strengthen the security of the EU's external borders and assist member states in effectively managing migration.
In addition, the agency is also looking to establish a new center for monitoring and responding to online content. This center is expected to analyze publicly available information published on social media and identify changes and trends that could impact the security of the EU's borders.
The Role of Social Media in Illegal Migration
The role of social media in facilitating illegal migration was clearly demonstrated in July in the city of Ceuta, Spain, where thousands of migrants crossed the border illegally in a short period. This incident highlights the importance of identifying and analyzing online content to prevent such migrations.
The European Commission has also announced that Frontex will act as a "trusted flagger" under the Digital Services Act. This status allows Frontex to report illegal content to online platforms and request national authorities to take action to remove this content.
The "trusted flagger" status is provided under the new EU regulations for regulating digital platforms and is assigned to national regulatory bodies. Reports from such flaggers must be prioritized by platform operators.
Henna Virkkunen, Vice President of the European Commission, has stated that Frontex is seeking to obtain this status from national authorities, and given the agency's special expertise in border matters, its request is expected to be accepted.
