EU plans to expand Frontex’s powers over deportations, NGOs call for greater oversight

A European Union reform aims to give Frontex a broader role in returning irregular migrants, including the possibility of helping deport them from one country outside the EU to another. The European Commission is expected to present the new package on Tuesday, Euronews reported. Under the proposed changes, the agency would be able to cooperate with the authorities of non-member countries, including North African states, to return migrants to their countries of origin. Frontex could also become involved in deportations from return centers that EU countries plan to open in third countries. Five European governments are in talks to establish the first center of its kind, which is expected to begin operating in 2027.