A coalition of liberal, green, and centre-right MPs in the Belgian Parliament has approved new legislation to enable the EU’s border agency Frontex to better operate within the territory of Belgium, including at key entry points like Brussels Midi-Station, the primary hub for the Eurostar train service to Britain. This could set a precedent for the Europeanisation of border security across the EU. Left-wing MPs have contested the vagueness of the legislation, including whether it applies to entrance points specifically.
First proposed by the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V), prompting a fightback from pro-migration NGOs, what the media have dubbed the ‘Frontex law’ could signal a serious policy change. For the first time, it enables the EU border agency to conduct arrests and deportation at key entry points on Belgian soil.
The proposals cleared the Belgian Parliament by 68 votes to 11, with the most vocal opposition coming from the Marxist-Leninist PTB-PVBA, a party heavily favoured by Muslims in Belgium. Defenders of the bill, such as Christian Democrat Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden, have stated that Frontex would follow orders from Belgian authorities. In response, their left-wing critics expressed concern that border agents would—like police—carry firearms.
Refugee charities have complained that the bill grants Frontex equal powers to Belgian federal authorities, with Frontex only having a token presence occasionally at Belgian airports and without major powers until now.
The legislation had already been approved by Belgium’s Council of State and came a month after the European Parliament voted to move ahead with plans to harmonise the bloc’s asylum and migration policy under the Migration Pact. Observers expect a wider push to augment Frontex’s manpower and capabilities ahead of the June elections.
The prospect of Frontex agents being active at Brussels-Midi Station comes after repeated concerns about migrant crime and even a failure to hire additional personnel at the transport hub, where the station also serves as a gateway into the post-Brexit UK.
It is unknown whether this legislation will have any impact on Eurostar crossings with the UK and EU, specifically France, which is already engaged in a post-Brexit dispute with Britain concerning asylum flow across the English Channel.
Specific legal ambiguities may yet need ironing out, based on whether the agency can legally operate away from recognised external borders.
Frontex was unable to answer inquiries from The European Conservative about its likely deployment in Belgium. With the exception of missions to the Western Balkans and North Africa, Frontex very rarely strays from its role of guarding the EU’s southern frontier, despite working in conjunction with policing authorities in northern Europe.
Despite being an official agency, Frontex has been the subject of multiple internecine disputes with other EU institutions. Its former chief, Fabrice Leggeri—now a candidate for Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National—has accused Eurocrats of being ideologically committed to mass migration.
