The Frontex boss resigns because of illegal push-backs, a lack of transparency and an authoritarian management style, Aija Kalnaja temporarily takes over the official business. The agency now needs a fresh start.
In the end, Fabrice Leggeri was only able to flee forward. During the night of Friday, rumors grew that the head of the powerful EU border protection agency Frontex, who was under massive criticism, and some of his closest employees were announcing their withdrawal. The news spread like wildfire in Brussels, which caused a sigh of relief, especially in the Commission: Because the allegations against the French director, who had headed Frontex since the refugee year 2015 and by 2027 to become the largest EU agency with an annual budget of 900 million euros and 10,000 officers to support the national border guards were no longer sustainable. In his resignation letter of just a few lines, the reason given is the “tacit but effective” change in the Frontex mandate.
The clean-up work after the Leggeri era will drag on for years – and will also force the Commission to clearly specify what it expects from Frontex. According to Frontex, Aija Kalnaja is now to take over the official business on an interim basis. Before joining Frontex, she was deputy chief of police in Latvia.
The EU institutions have probably already learned a lesson from the “Frontex case”: the allocation of additional powers must be accompanied by appropriate controls. “Die Presse” summarizes the most important allegations against the agency.