The European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina signed a new Status Agreement on Wednesday, June 11th. Formally, this means that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the authorities in the Balkan country will strengthen migration and border management cooperation, with both entities committed to preventing “irregular border crossings” (illegal migration).
This latest status agreement is Frontex’s sixth, based on its reinforced 2019 mandate. Joint Frontex operations with Bosnia and Herzegovina could now occur anywhere along the latter’s borders, including close to neighbouring non-EU states, such as Serbia.
The agreement was signed by Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration and the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto.
As EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Brunner previously took responsibility for persuading MEPs to back the Returns Directive—a decision that conservatives should approach with realism.
