Real-time satellite data, drones and artificial intelligence systems are increasingly being used to protect the external borders of the European Union. Frontex is developing border monitoring and surveillance technologies and preparing to implement new digital systems for managing border traffic, such as EES and ETIAS. According to the agency’s data for the first quarter of 2026, the number of illegal border crossings into the EU fell by 39% year on year.
“Satellite technologies are used by Frontex on a large scale. We have a special EUROSUR programme that helps map every part of the border and provide satellite data to our officers. All these maps are transmitted in real time, allowing us to act with sufficient advance notice,” Anna Skibińska, an officer of the Standing Corps at the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, told Newseria.
According to the report Earth Observation for Border Management, published by Frontex at the end of 2025, Earth observation technologies are playing an increasingly important role in protecting the EU’s borders. The agency points out that satellite data from the Copernicus programme can support the detection of illegal border crossings, monitor migration routes, assist search-and-rescue operations and help identify activities linked to cross-border crime. Automated image analysis and artificial intelligence systems used to detect threats are also becoming increasingly important.
“We have a wide range of technologies that enable us to protect the borders of the European Union. We use, among other things, MSS vehicles, which allow us to observe the most vulnerable sections of the border using night-vision technology. We have drones, helicopters and a large amount of equipment that enables us to properly secure the EU’s borders,” Skibińska said.
Frontex continuously analyses the border technology market, including camera systems, radars and optical sensors. Last year, the agency also launched a pilot project using long-range tactical drones to monitor the EU’s external borders. At the same time, it is developing projects based on the so-called digital twin of borders — a system integrating satellite data, sensors and real-time simulations to support earlier threat detection and faster response by border services.
“We are trying to use the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, which we are implementing in Frontex operations. This is the most urgent project in our agency,” the Frontex officer said.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency is also preparing to work with new digital EU border management systems, including the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). These systems are intended to automatically register border traffic and enable faster data exchange between services in EU member states.
EES has been fully operational since April this year. Ultimately, it will register data on the entry and exit of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Schengen Area, replacing traditional passport stamps with digital records of border crossings. ETIAS, a new travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers entering 30 European countries, is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.
The European Commission assumes that the systems will shorten border check times, reduce document fraud and make it easier to detect people who overstay their permitted period of stay in the Schengen Area.
According to Frontex data, slightly more than 21,400 illegal border crossings into the European Union were recorded in the first quarter of 2026, down 39% from a year earlier. The Eastern Mediterranean route remained the most active migration route, with detected crossings increasing by 11% year on year. The largest declines were recorded on the Western Balkan and Western African routes.
“The borders are secure, although there are always cases of crossings or attempted crossings. However, all the technologies we use definitely help ensure that the security of the European Union is properly protected,” Skibińska said.
