Starting January 2026, Prague will officially become the operational base for one of the seven regional contingents of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex.

The Czech capital will manage the activities of hundreds of border officers, mainly stationed at airports in ten EU countries that do not share a land border with non-EU states—countries like Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

The move marks a shift in the agency’s strategy to decentralize its operations from its central headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, to regional hubs.

Prague will host the sixth contingent, which currently operates under a temporary structure established earlier this year. It is set to be transformed into a permanent “antenna office”—a fully functional logistics and command unit—by next January.

The announcement was made by Jiří Perníček, coordinator of the Frontex National Contact Point.

“This office will handle logistics, staff management, and daily coordination across member airports,” said Perníček. “Our goal is complete operational independence of the contingent based in Prague.”

The Prague-based contingent includes officers from 10 countries: Czechia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Its responsibility extends to 25–30 airports and select maritime border posts.

The agency aims to have 10,000 officers across Europe by 2027, according to Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens.

At Prague Airport alone, 25 Frontex officers are already stationed. Their presence played a key role in securing Prague as the contingent’s new command post.

“We were proactive in letting Frontex operate here,” explained Perníček. “They were given full operational space—from check-in to gate inspections. That positive experience helped secure Prague’s position.”

The contingent in Prague will be one of the most significant, given the central role airports play in modern border security.

The officers stationed here are involved in identity checks, passport control, and monitoring of illegal migration and security threats at entry points that aren’t directly linked to EU external land borders.

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