MEPs met at the plenary session adopted the revision of the mandate for FRONTEX, the EU border control agency, giving to the agency the power to own or lease its own assets. and will no longer depend on Member States' commitments. In addition, under the new rules, Frontex missions may be suspended or terminated in the event of a breach of human rights. Once the Council gives its green light to the new regulation, it will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal.

The European Parliament approved the new Frontex rules with 431 votes in favour, 49 against and 48 abstentions. With the revision of its mandate, previously agreed with the Council, the Agency will appoint an inspector to ensure that EU border checks respect human rights. Furthermore, in the event of a breach of human rights, Frontex missions may be suspended or terminated. Also, the agency's tasks will include providing assistance to Member States in situations that may involve humanitarian emergencies and rescue at sea.

With regard to the respectful of the human rights, the agency will set up a "consultative forum on fundamental rights" to assist the agency's management board. The consultative forum will include the EU Fundamental Rights and Asylum Support agencies, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs specialising in this field. Frontex will also develop codes of conduct to guarantee compliance with human rights in all missions, including return operations. Under international law, no person may be disembarked or handed over to the authorities of a country where his/her life or freedoms could be threatened. Therefore, the agency will respect this principle of "non-refoulement" in all circumstances.

On the other hand, Frontex itself will buy or lease its own equipment, such as cars or helicopters, rather than depending on what Member States allocate to it. The new rules also require Member States to stick to their commitments, negotiated on a yearly basis, to provide a certain number of border guards or amount of equipment to the agency. Another big change introduced is the creation of the European border guard teams, which should boost efficiency and make Frontex actions more visible by combining today's "joint support teams" and "rapid border intervention teams". It will be formed by national guards assigned by Member States to joint missions.