In accordance with the fundamental rights provisions contained in the statute agreements themselves, the Executive Director of the Agency may suspend or terminate acts in the State (Article 6 of any status agreement). They also describe the criminal and civil liability of the Agency and its agents for the actions taken in these states. In the end, the prioritization of border controls and security measures, in cooperation with third countries, will have a negative impact on those who need access to the EU for states that do not yet have adequate protection procedures, as fotiadis has shown in the reports. Strik notes, however, that it “is not fundamentally opposed to this cooperation, but only when states have taken the first protective measures. So that`s another matter. This adoption follows the entry into force of a status quo agreement with Albania last May, while the agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Macedonia have yet to be ratified by national governments and approved by the European Parliament. The agreements allow Frontex to conduct operations in the territories of these other states. The status agreements give Frontex the mandate to help neighbouring third countries manage their borders, including through operational engagement and the deployment of personnel to the regions of Montenegro bordering the EU, provided Montenegro authorizes such missions. The agreement between the EU and Montenegro will be concluded as soon as the European Parliament agrees.

Commissioner Avramopoulos said: “I would like to thank the Albanian authorities for the fruitful negotiations and for their commitment to such a speedy agreement. Albania is a forerunner in the region and this agreement will serve as a model for similar agreements that we are negotiating with other Western Balkan partners. Closer cooperation between Albania and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will enable us to respond more quickly and flexibly to potential migration challenges. This is a big step forward and it is in the interests of Albania and the European Union. The Schengen area was created in 1985 in the Schengen Agreement between five of the ten Member States of the European Economic Community at the time, in order to create a common border by phasing out internal border controls and harmonising migration rules.