Brussels is to propose the creation of a standing European border force that can take control of the bloc’s external borders — even if a government objects — in a move that would arguably represent the biggest transfer of sovereignty since the creation of the single currency.
Against the backdrop of a migration crisis that has seen 1.2m refugees reach Europe this year, the European Commission will next week unveil plans to replace the Frontex border agency with a permanent force and coastguard, deployed with the final say of the commission, according to EU officials and documents seen by the Financial Times.
The blueprint represents a last-ditch attempt to save the Schengen passport-free travel zone, by introducing the kind of common border policing repeatedly demanded by Paris and Berlin.