The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex is launching its first full-scale operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, opening a new chapter in cooperation in the Western Balkans. More than a hundred Frontex officers from across Europe will soon be working side by side with border guards from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the country’s borders.
The joint teams will help strengthen border management, fight cross-border crime and improve information exchange, all while ensuring that every activity fully respects fundamental rights. The operation also brings additional equipment, training and European expertise to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in its daily work at the borders.
“Working together makes a real difference,” said Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex, adding:
“Our officers will stand shoulder to shoulder with their Bosnian counterparts, helping to manage borders safely and legally. This is what European cooperation looks like in practice.”
The launch follows years of preparation and close partnership between Frontex and the Bosnian authorities. During his visit, Executive Director Leijtens met with the Minister of Security, the Director of the Border Police and EU representatives to discuss how joint efforts can further enhance security and cooperation across the region.
Executive Director Leijtens attended a ceremony in Sarajevo marking the start of Frontex’s operational presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, and the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak.
Commissioner Brunner stressed:
“The security of the Western Balkans is the security of Europe – our challenges in these areas are shared. Based on the Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Frontex now supports border police forces in all Western Balkan countries, contributing to a reduction of illegal border crossings by over 90 percent in the last three years. Together, we are making Europe a safer continent.”
Director Leijtens also met with Borjana Krišto, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and spoke with Frontex officers working alongside their national counterparts.
“Today, our members of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina stand shoulder to shoulder with members of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), and this cooperation in border management and joint operations is also visible at Sarajevo International Airport and certain border crossings,” said Ivica Bošnjak, Acting Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He stressed that this is a significant step forward that the Ministry of Security and the BiH security agencies have achieved in the recent period, as part of the broader European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its contribution to collective European security.
Frontex already supports the management of non-EU borders in Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, working closely with national authorities to combat cross-border crime and manage migration in an efficient and humane manner. The new operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina further expands this regional cooperation, the Delegation of the European Union to BiH announced.
