The European Commission wants to turn Frontex, the EU's border agency, into the central body handling deportations across Europe, according to WELT. The German outlet reported the plan on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
Coverage in Germany framed the proposal as a significant expansion of the agency's role. SZ.de described it as a massive build-up of Frontex, while FAZ summed up the shift as more deportations and less oversight. taz.de was sharply critical, calling the plan an "abs deportation agency" and dismissing the accompanying rhetoric about invasion. NDR.de discussed the upgrade alongside an appeal from Oxfam and a segment involving M. Koltermann.
The reports indicate the change concerns Frontex's mandate, the set of rules that defines what the Warsaw-based agency is allowed to do. Under the Commission's proposal, that mandate would be redrawn so the agency plays a leading part in returning people who are ordered to leave the bloc, rather than leaving removals largely to national authorities.
The available reporting does not specify the proposal's legal text, timelines or how member states have responded. Those details would determine how far the shift goes in practice.
Watch for the Commission's formal legislative proposal and the reaction of EU governments, since any change to Frontex's mandate would need their agreement and that of the European Parliament.