Net salary of the new Frontex Executive Director is between EUR 9,146.00 to EUR 9,598.00 a month or EUR 109,752.00 to EUR 115,176.00 a year, depending on length of previous work experience. The succesful candidate will also receive a number of allowances.
On 21 June 2022 the European Comission has published a vacancy announcement for the position of the Executive Director of Frontex, the European Boarder and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG).
The position became vacant after the previous Frontex Executive Director Frenchman Fabrice Leggeri resigned from his post after 7 years of service on 28 April 2022.
The post is now temporarily held by the Latvian Aija Kalnaja, the Frontex Deputy Executive Director for the Standing Corps since 2021. She is also considered as one of the possible candidates to fill the post permanently.
Salary calculation
The vacancy announcement states that the new Frontex Executive Director will be placed in Grade AD 14 Step 1 or Step 2, depending on the length of previous work experience. AD 14 is the third highest Administrators grade in the European Commission and is reserved for heads of the largest EU agencies or very senior EU civil servants in the European Commission.
Introduction to job types and salaries in EU institutions
The gross basic salary for Administrators AD 14 is as follows:
The net salary for the new Frontex Executive Director, taking into account a number of allowances and deductions from the succesful candidate’s salary:
| Salary positions | AD14 Step 1 | AD14 Step 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gross basic pay | 15225 | 15865 |
| Expatriation allowance | 2758 | 2758 |
| Pension contribution | -1602 | -1602 |
| Sickness insurance | -270 | -270 |
| Accident insurance | -14 | -14 |
| Coommunity tax | -2695 | -2695 |
| Special levy | -447 | -447 |
| Net pay | 12955 | 13595 |
| Net pay (adjusted by the 70.6% Correction Coefficient for Poland) | 9146 EUR | 9598 EUR |
As all staff of EU institutions, the new Frontex Executive Director will be entitled to a number of allowances adjusted by the Correction Coefficient for Poland:
- As the new Frontex ED is likely to come form another EU Member State, he/she will be entitled to an an Expatriation Allowance of 16% of gross basic salary: EUR 1463 or EUR 1536.
- If the ED is married and/or has children and is not a Polish national, the person will also receive a Household Allowance: EUR 514
- Dependent child allowances for each child: EUR 299
- Preschool allowance if children are below the age of 5 and don’t attend a regular school: EUR 73
- Enrollment of children in the Warsaw European School, or a single or double Education Allowance for each school-aged child: EUR 202 or EUR 404
Important notes:
- Frontex ED will be a temporary agent. This means that the succesful canditate is allowed to serve only two 5-year long terms, after which a new ED is appointed. This is implemented to ensure good governance in EU institutions.
- The new ED is unlikely to be a Polish national. It is customary to appoint foreigners as heads of EU agencies located in the various EU Members States to prevent possible unwanted influence of the hosting country in an agency’s affairs.
As other EU civil servants, the Frontex ED advances on step in the EU administrators salary grid every two years. The below table shows the basic pay by step in grade AD14. As most allowances are calculated as a percentage of basic pay, advancing a step in the salary grid correspondingly brings a larger increase of income.
| Administrator grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 13 322,22 | 13 882,04 | 14 465,38 | 14 867,83 | 15 073,24 |
As Fabrice Leggeri served in Frontex for 7 years, he’s basic salary at the time of resignation would have been at least EUR 10,212.00 monthly or EUR 122,548.00 yearly, plus allowances. The salary might have been higher, if F.Leggeri was promoted by the Frontex Management Board.
Fabrice Leggeri’s appointment and CV
Leggeri was appointed by the Frontex Management Board on 26 November 2014 and started to work in 2015.
Before becoming the Frontex ED, Leggeri held a number of high-ranking posts in the French civil service and was also seconded to the European Commission. An overview of main job positions held by Fabrice Leggeri before employment at Frontex:
- Deputy Head and later Head of a unit dealing with cross border traffic, borders and visas at the French Ministry of Interior.
- Seconded National Expert to the European Commission in 2000-2003, where he worked on files that contributed to the creation of Frontex.
- French State Representative in two French regions holding the office of Vice-Prefect (Upper Normandy in 2003–2005, Châteaulin District in 2005–2007).
- Head of Division of International and European Law at the French Ministry of Defence 2007-2011.
- Deputy Head of the French Embassy in Seoul, Republic of South Korea, between 2011-2013.
- Head of Division on Irregular Migration at the French Ministry of Interior between 2013-2014.
- Leggeri holds a Postgraduate Degree in Contemporary History from the University of Paris. He has also graduated the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.
- Leggeri was born on 28 March 1968.
Resignation letter of Fabrice Leggeri
European Commission statement regarding the resignation of Fabrice Leggeri.
Frontex Management Board statement after accepting resignation of Fabrice Leggeri.
The European Parliament has refused a “discharge” of the Frontex budget several times, most recently in October 2022, citing problems under F.Leggeri’s management and the lack of sufficient reforms after his resignation.
Relevant media articles
- Politico.eu and Der Spiegel about F.Leggeri’s resignation
- 2021 Der Spiegel article about issues likely investigated by OLAF
On 13 October 2022 the internet portal Frag den Staat published the leaked OLAF repport on F.Leggeri and several other (former?) Frontex employees. The portal also published an article that summarizes the OLAF 120 page report’s main findings.
CV of Aija Kalnaja
- Deputy Executive Director for Standing Corps Management, Frontex, 2021-currently
- Director of Capacity Building Division, Frontex, 2018-2022
- Head of Operations Department a.i. / Head of Training Unit, CEPOL, 2011-2018
- Deputy Chief of Latvian State Police, Head of the Administrative Department, 2011-2011
- Latvian Police Attaché to the United Kingdom, 2007-2011
- Head of SIRENE Bureau, Latvian State Police2003-2007
- Director of Latvian Office, European Cities against Drugs Riga, 2002-2003
- Police officer at the Latvian State Police, 1993-2002
- Chief Laboratory Assistant, Latvian Institute of Microbiology, 1987-1993
- Kalnaja was born on 12 February 1969
CV and image source: Frontex website
Main image source: Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres
