Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,0, University of Southern Denmark (Department of Border Region Studies), course: European Border Region Development, language: English, abstract: The last decade saw the establishment of an European Union agency, FRONTEX, whichwas made in charge of the common border security polity established by the Schengen aquiswhich abolished all internal borders for the free movement of persons. Taking thisdevelopment and its results under scrutiny, this paper will try to give an answer to thefollowing research question: How does the actual application of the Schengen aquis byinstitutionalizing it in an agency (FRONTEX) affect or transform the border regimes ofMember States in particular and the European Union in general? The methodology willconsist of an analysis of the legal and deriving organizational design of the agency itself, andas well in describing the operational design of a distinctive FRONTEX deployment. Taking acloser look at the FRONTEX operations HERA I, II and III in particular shall help to define thecharacteristics and implications of its results in promulgating a paradigm which points out tothe result the ongoing transformation of the European border security regime. While being aware of the incentives to create agencies lie in their supposed apolitical natureand ability to maintain policy continuity, which might also apply for the establishment ofFRONTEX as an European Union agency, the notorious and critical acclaim this institutionfaces in the media is another incentive to take as a first step of the analysis a closer look atthe historic and legal roots of the agency its impact on the European border regime so far. Thiswill be followed by a description of the organization of FRONTEX andhow the agency operates in the operations HERA I, II andIII in the years 2006 and 2007.A paradigm will be drawn whichan answer on ifand how the European border regime is to transform.
