 The staff of the agency would gradually increase from 402 members in 2016 to 1,000 by 2020.Frontex, then officially the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders, was established by Council of Regulation (EC) 2007/2004.It began work on 3 October 2005 and was the first EU agency to be based in one of the new EU member states from 2004.