Transformation of the European Border Regime

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,0, University of Southern Denmark (Department of Border Region Studies), course: European Border Region Development, language: English, abstract: The last decade saw the establishment of an European Union agency, FRONTEX, which
was made in charge of the common border security polity established by the Schengen aquis
which abolished all internal borders for the free movement of persons. Taking this
development and its results under scrutiny, this paper will try to give an answer to the
following research question: How does the actual application of the Schengen aquis by
institutionalizing it in an agency (FRONTEX) affect or transform the border regimes of
Member States in particular and the European Union in general? The methodology will
consist of an analysis of the legal and deriving organizational design of the agency itself, and
as well in describing the operational design of a distinctive FRONTEX deployment. Taking a
closer look at the FRONTEX operations HERA I, II and III in particular shall help to define the
characteristics and implications of its results in promulgating a paradigm which points out to
the result the ongoing transformation of the European border security regime.
While being aware of the incentives to create agencies lie in their supposed apolitical nature
and ability to maintain policy continuity, which might also apply for the establishment of
FRONTEX as an European Union agency, the notorious and critical acclaim this institution
faces in the media is another incentive to take as a first step of the analysis a closer look at
the historic and legal roots of the agency its impact on the European border regime so far. This
will be followed by a description of the organization of FRONTEX and
how the agency operates in the operations HERA I, II and
III in the years 2006 and 2007.A paradigm will be drawn which
an answer on if
and how the European border regime is to transform.