Montenegro Seeks Frontex's Help Over Migrant, Refugee Wave

Montenegro said it seeks a status agreement with the EU's border and migration agency Frontex, to protect its border as a fresh migrant and refugee influx causes concern in the region and in Brussels.

An Interior Ministry document, which BIRN has seen, says an official application for a status agreement with Frontex "will be launched soon".

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, helps EU countries and Schengen-associated countries to manage their external borders and harmonise border controls across the EU.

Non-EU countries cannot become full members. However, legal documents on the Frontex website say a so-called status agreement may be concluded between the EU and a third country when it is envisaged that Frontex's teams will be deployed to a third country in actions where team members will have executive powers, or where other actions in third countries require it.

A status agreement would set out the scope of the operation and "the civil and criminal liability and the tasks and powers of the members of the Frontex teams".

Frontex may, with the agreement of the EU states, invite observers from third countries to participate in its activities on the EU's external borders. 

A status agreement with Montenegro would have to be endorsed by the EU's 28 member states and formally signed at a later date.

Once the agreement enters into force, Frontex will be able to carry out operational activities and deploy teams in those areas of Montenegro that border on the EU.

To the west, Montenegro has a maritime border with EU member Italy, and to the north it shares a small land border with EU member Croatia.

However, most of its land borders are with non-EU states: Serbia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

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