The European Commission proposed to establish a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) to increase coordination within and between Member States to prevent and tackle serious crime. Commission stresses that the increased exchange of information and the use of modern surveillance technology introduced by EUROSUR can also be vital for saving the lives of migrants attempting to reach the shores of EU Member States in small and unseaworthy boats.

The European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) has been proposed by the European Commission to prevent and tackle serious crime, such as drug trafficking and the trafficking of human beings, and to diminish the unacceptable death toll of migrants at sea. According to the Commission, thanks to this mechanism Member States' authorities responsible for border surveillance (border guards, coast guards, police, customs and navies) will be able to exchange operational information and cooperate with each other, with Frontex and with neighbouring countries. EUROSUR is part of the EU Internal Security Strategy presented by the Commission in November.

The Commission underlines that this mechanism will increase the possibility of identifying and tracking down the routes used by criminal networks. The fact that traffickers are currently using small wooden and glass-fibre boats for smuggling both human beings and illicit drugs poses a major challenge to law enforcement authorities because it is extremely difficult to detect, identify and track such small boats on the high seas.

The EUROSUR mechanism has been proposed because currently in some Member States, up to six different authorities are directly involved in the surveillance of maritime borders, sometimes operating parallel surveillance systems, without clear rules and workflows for cooperation and information exchange among them. Furthermore, in the field of border surveillance there is not only a lack of coordination inside some Member States, but also between Member States, due to the absence of proper procedures, networks or communication channels for the exchange of information.