{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2019-1896/article-31",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2019-1896/article-31.json",
  "legislation": "eur/2019/1896",
  "legislation_title": "Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2019 on the European Border and Coast Guard and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1052/2013 and (EU) 2016/1624",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2019-1896",
  "path": "article/31",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "31",
  "heading": "Agency liaison officers in Member States",
  "text": "1. The Agency shall ensure the regular monitoring of all Member States' management of the external borders and return through liaison officers of the Agency.\nThe Agency may decide that a liaison officer covers up to four Member States which are geographically close to each other.\n2. The executive director shall appoint experts from the statutory staff to be deployed as liaison officers. The executive director shall, on the basis of risk analysis and in consultation with the Member States concerned, make a proposal on the nature and terms of the deployment, the Member State or region to which a liaison officer may be deployed and possible tasks not covered by paragraph 3. The proposal from the executive director shall be subject to approval by the management board. The executive director shall notify the Member State concerned of the appointment and shall determine, together with that Member State, the location of deployment.\n3. The liaison officers shall act on behalf of the Agency, and their role shall be to foster cooperation and dialogue between the Agency and the national authorities responsible for border management, including coast guards to the extent that they carry out border control tasks, as well as the national authorities responsible for return. The liaison officers shall, in particular:\n(a) act as an interface between the Agency and the national authorities responsible for border management, including coast guards to the extent that they carry out border control tasks, as well as the national authorities responsible for return;\n(b) support the collection of information required by the Agency for the monitoring of illegal immigration and risk analyses referred to in Article 29;\n(c) support the collection of information referred to in Article 32 and required by the Agency to carry out vulnerability assessments and prepare a report for that purpose;\n(d) monitor the measures taken by the Member State at external border sections to which a high or critical impact level has been attributed in accordance with Article 34;\n(e) contribute to promoting the application of the Union acquis relating to the management of the external borders and return, including with regard to respect for fundamental rights;\n(f) cooperate with the fundamental rights officer, where necessary, with a view to promoting respect for fundamental rights in the work of the Agency in line with point (e);\n(g) where possible, assist the Member States in preparing their contingency plans concerning border management;\n(h) facilitate the communication between the Member State concerned and the Agency, share relevant information from the Agency with the Member State concerned, including information about ongoing operations;\n(i) report regularly and directly to the executive director on the situation at the external borders and the capacity of the Member State concerned to deal effectively with the situation at the external borders; report also on the execution of return operations towards relevant third countries;\n(j) monitor the measures taken by the Member State with regard to a situation requiring urgent action at the external borders as referred to in Article 42;\n(k) monitor the measures taken by the Member State with regard to return and support the collection of information required by the Agency to carry out the activities referred to in Article 48.\n4. If the reporting by the liaison officer referred to in point (i) of paragraph 3 raises concerns about one or more aspects relevant for the Member State concerned, the executive director shall inform that Member State without delay.\n5. For the purposes of paragraph 3, the liaison officer shall, in compliance with the national and Union security and data protection rules:\n(a) receive information from the national coordination centre concerned and the relevant national situational picture established in accordance with Article 25;\n(b) keep regular contacts with national authorities which are responsible for border management, including coast guards to the extent that they carry out border control tasks, as well as the national authorities responsible for return, whilst informing the national contact point concerned.\n6. The report of the liaison officer referred to in point (c) of paragraph 3 of this Article shall form part of the vulnerability assessment referred to in Article 32. The report shall be transmitted to the Member State concerned.\n7. In carrying out their duties, the liaison officers shall take instructions only from the Agency.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2019/1896/article/31",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:43:01.728438+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}