Integrated management of maritime borders is an important part of the Global Approach and is the subject of a separate Communication, Reinforcing the Management of the European Union's Southern Maritime Borders.

The number of persons crossing Europe's southern sea borders using unseaworthy boats amounted to around 10.000 people in 2010, increased to over 70.000 people in 2011, to drop again to around 20.000 people in 2012, where most of these crossings were organised by smugglers.

The Agency is currently coordinating a number of joint operations and pilot projects at maritime, land and air borders with a view to combating illegal immigration, with a particular emphasis on certain high-risk areas such as the southern maritime borders of the EU, although the northern and eastern borders are also covered.

– having regard to existing and planned EU databases such as the Schengen Information System, Eurodac and the Visa Information System, to biometric data collection measures such as those for residence permits and passports, and to the Commission's Communication of 30 November 2006 entitled "Reinforcing the management of the European Union's Southern Maritime Borders" concerning the establishment of a Permanent Coastal Patrol Network for the southern maritime external borders (COM(2006)0733 ), as well as to proposed surveillance projects such as Eurosur (European borders surveillance system),

– having regard to existing and planned EU databases such as the Schengen Information System, Eurodac and the Visa Information System, to biometric data collection measures such as those for residence permits and passports, and to the Commission's Communication of 30 November 2006 entitled "Reinforcing the management of the European Union's Southern Maritime Borders" concerning the establishment of a Permanent Coastal Patrol Network for the southern maritime external borders (COM(2006)0733), as well as to proposed surveillance projects such as Eurosur (European borders surveillance system),

- having regard to existing and planned EU databases such as the Schengen Information System, Eurodac and the Visa Information System, to biometric data collection measures such as those for residence permits and passports, and to the Communication of the Commission of 30 November 2006 entitled "Reinforcing the management of the European Union's Southern Maritime Borders" concerning the establishment of a Permanent Costal Patrol Network for the southern maritime external borders, as well as to proposed surveillance projects such as Eurosur (European borders surveillance system),