Swedish operations for Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, are once again based on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the EU's southernmost outpost, near the coasts of Libya and Tunisia. This year, the Swedish crews, from both the Coast Guard and the police, work from two identical rigid inflatable boats.

– Together with the Swedish Police Authority, we streamlinde the Swedish commitments to Frontex  by having two identical units in the same place, says Peter Widlund, responsible for the Swedish Coast Guard's operations for Frontex.

The assignment this season began in Italy on 30 September and ends on 14 April 2027.

– On Lampedusa, we work closely with the Italian authority Guardia di Finanza, there is always one person on board from them on our units when we are out at sea. Among other things, this person's task is to keep close contact with people onshore who provide us with important information about objects of interest, says Daniel Björklind, from the Swedish Coast Guard, Head of Field Officer on Lampedusa.

– When we are out on patrol, we often meet migrants who arrive in different kinds of boats. Some arrive in small rigid inflatable boats with, for example, 13 people on board. Some arrive in slightly "larger" fishing boats with about 70 people on board. What they all have in common is that they have spent a long time at sea, with no land in sight, and are often worn out and emaciated from the tough journey. Many cannot swim, and their so-called life jackets are inner tubes from car tyres. We help them to a safe harbour on Lampedusa. There, healthcare staff and others meet them, take care of them with food, clothes and a roof over their heads at a camp on the island, and register their arrival. It is a very good feeling to be able to help these migrants to a safe harbour, says Daniel Björklind.

Facts

Through the Schengen agreement, Sweden is committed to contributing staff and equipment to maintain the external border of the Schengen area, in places where the need is greater than a single member state can handle on its own. The assignment is to monitor the EU's external border, help with search and rescue operations and escort migrants ashore, but also to prevent drug smuggling and illegal fishing. All operations are led by the host country.

From October 2026 to April 2027, Sweden is taking part in Frontex Operation Italy, supporting Italy's border surveillance, with the boats KBV 475 and KBV 476 and crews. In total, nineteen people from the Swedish Coast Guard and nine from the Swedish Police Authority are working on site in Italy.

Migrant flows to the EU are falling sharply this year compared with recent years. In the central Mediterranean area, where Lampedusa is located, Frontex registered about 22,500 arriving migrants from January to September 2026. This is a decrease of as much as 56 per cent compared to the same period in 2025. Libya is still the main point of departure for migrants in this area, followed by Tunisia and Algeria, according to Frontex.

The UN estimates that at least 996 people have died or went missing on the migrant route across the central Mediterranean between 1 January and 15 September 2026, compared with 844 people in the same period last year, according to IOM, UN Migration.