Frontex launches updated Contingency Planning Handbook to help Member States move from alert to action during border crises

Frontex has released the second edition of its Handbook on Contingency Planning for Border Management and Return, a practical reference designed to help EU Member States and Schengen-associated countries activate, test and refine national contingency plans for high migratory influxes and other crises at the EU's external borders.

The updated edition translates recognised international practice into a clear, four-phase cycle and now includes guidance on return to provide a fully integrated approach.

• Expanded scope: now covers return as well as border management.
• Four-phase cycle: Plan & prepare; Respond & lead; Test; Review & adjust, each with success factors, checklists, factors to consider and review questions.
• RACER activation model: a concise pathway from signal to decision - Report, Assess, Convene, Execute, Resolve - including triggers, thresholds and de-escalation.
• Decision-making under pressure: model and steps to set chain of command, assign resources and take time-bound decisions.
• Practical templates: stakeholder lists, RACI matrices, early-warning indicators, resource tables, communications plans, exercise scripts and test reports.

The Handbook supports national authorities and Frontex Liaison Officers in designing and testing contingency plans, running simulations, and following up on vulnerability assessment recommendations. It clarifies who does what, when and how, helping to align activation to early warning signs, and coordinate activities across agencies and borders.

The Handbook is not just a theoretical tool, it is already proving its value for EU institutions and partners working to secure the Union's external borders. Recent examples include:

• Solidarity Platform for Ukraine: the Handbook was used to brief national experts and strengthen preparedness for a potential influx of people fleeing the war.
• Western Balkans capacity building (IPA III): it guided the training of two partners to develop migration-management contingency plans aligned with EU standards.
• European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA): the Agency drew on its methodology when creating its own contingency planning manual and template for asylum and reception under the Pact.
• Member States practice: it has supported authorities in following up on vulnerability assessment recommendations with practical measures.

You can access the new publication on the Frontex website.