At a meeting in Belgrade on 19 February 2026, interior officials from ten EU member states released a ‘non-paper’ calling for a slimmer, more agile Frontex with a laser focus on returning migrants who have no legal right to remain. Signatories—Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Spain—argue that rather than expand the Border and Coast Guard Agency’s mandate, the forthcoming 2026 reform should concentrate on third-country partnerships, drone surveillance and artificial intelligence to identify overstays quickly.
Although Italy is not among the authors, the proposal matters to Rome: Frontex’s return-support budget has financed several Italian charter flights and joint operations in recent years. A shift toward ‘tech-enabled returns’ could mean more EU funding for biometric exit systems already being tested at Rome Fiumicino and Milano Malpensa ahead of the EU Entry/Exit System go-live in April 2026.
![Ten EU States—Including Italy’s Neighbours—Push to Refocus Frontex on Returns and Tech]()
For multinational employers, a more robust returns apparatus could translate into stricter overstay enforcement, making it even more critical to monitor Schengen-day counts for short-term assignees. Companies may also see increased compliance checks when using the Posted Worker Notification portal, as data-sharing between labour inspectorates and Frontex deepens.
The non-paper will feed into the European Commission’s impact assessment, due in Q3 2026, with draft legislative text expected by year-end.
Although Italy is not among the authors, the proposal matters to Rome: Frontex’s return-support budget has financed several Italian charter flights and joint operations in recent years. A shift toward ‘tech-enabled returns’ could mean more EU funding for biometric exit systems already being tested at Rome Fiumicino and Milano Malpensa ahead of the EU Entry/Exit System go-live in April 2026.
For multinational employers, a more robust returns apparatus could translate into stricter overstay enforcement, making it even more critical to monitor Schengen-day counts for short-term assignees. Companies may also see increased compliance checks when using the Posted Worker Notification portal, as data-sharing between labour inspectorates and Frontex deepens.
The non-paper will feed into the European Commission’s impact assessment, due in Q3 2026, with draft legislative text expected by year-end.
Source: ANSA Nuova Europa
