Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, triggered a firm and overarching political response by the European Union. Actions in the justice and home affairs policy field form integral parts of a successful and efficient response.
The nine EU Agencies cooperating within the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN) play a vital role in this process by contributing to the implementation of political decisions made at the European level, assisting Member States and other countries, and providing support to people affected by the war, in particular persons displaced from Ukraine.
Each of the nine Agencies engaged in a substantial number of actions in a very short time, and the Agencies provided tangible solutions and support.
Frontex stands with Ukraine and continues to provide support within the mandate. From the first days of the invasion, the agency has been supporting both EU Member States affected by the migratory flows, as well as the neighbors. The agency activated a crisis response mechanism and established a dedicated crisis response team that operates 24/7. Through this mechanism, Frontex provides regular updates to the Member States and the EU institutions on the situation at border crossing points and monitors refugee flows to support awareness, and border control activities, including facilitation of border crossings, and evacuation corridors.
Coming with a helping hand to the Member States affected the most by the record number of refugees at the EU’s doorsteps, Frontex provided hundreds of standing corps officers and equipment to support them at their borders with Ukraine. Even more Frontex officers arrived in Moldova as soon as the EU signed an agreement on border management cooperation, to assist the neighbor that received the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita.
The agency had about 500 standing corps officers working along the eastern border from Finland to Romania, including more than 350 officers working at the EU-Ukraine borders. The support for Ukraine is not waning. In January, Frontex and the State Border Guard Service signed a grant agreement worth 12 million euros to support Ukrainian border officers in performing their duties.
While the JHA Agencies’ responses cover a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from actions on the ground to those in cyberspace, the most prominent actions included:
- Producing targeted analytical products and reports;
- Identifying key fundamental rights challenges and ways to overcome them;
- Providing operational support to investigations of core international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine;
- Providing operational support to national authorities, with a particular emphasis on Member States bordering Ukraine and Moldova;
- Information provision-related activities and support;
- Contributing to the enforcement of EU sanctions; and
- Supporting the authorities of Ukraine and Moldova.
See also: 🔴 LIVE UPDATES | Humanitarian response to Ukraine crisis