New EU Border, Coast Guard Agency to Start Operations in Mid-October

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Council of the European Union ratified on Wednesday the creation of the new European Border and Coast guard agency, and it is expected to start functioning in mid-October.

"On 14 September 2016, the Council gave its final approval to the European Border and Coast Guard. The adoption of the regulation, which the Council approved by written procedure, paves the way for the Border and Coast Guard to begin its activities in mid-October," the EU body said in a statement.

The main role of the new agency is to help provide integrated border management at the EU external borders to ensure management of migration flows and provide a high level of security for the bloc.

According to the statement, the European Border and Coast guard agency will comprise the current Frontex agency with expanded tasks and national EU member states authorities responsible for border management. Both will be joining their efforts and cooperate to provide for an operational strategy for border management.

Since 2015, Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty. Some 1.8 million illegal border crossings were detected by the EU border agency Frontex in 2015.