This paper examines the EU’s immigration policy and security discourse for the Black Sea region, the Union’s south-eastern external border, and also focuses on the workings of FRONTEX (the EU’s agency for external border security) as an institution and examines its activity in the region. The subject is examined through the main theoretical assumptions and key hypotheses of Didier Bigo’s theory about the ‘Governmentality of Unease’. The term ‘Black Sea region’ is also examined in order to define what it may mean, how and why the region has emerged as place of interest for international politics and how this paper problematizes the term. After an examination of EU’s stance on ‘irregular’ immigration, the Black Sea Synergy initiative is used to showcase EU’s security discourse vis-à-vis the Black Sea countries. The FRONTEX agency and its working are presented in detail as well as the main criticism that the agency has faced from civil society and academia. FRONTEX’ activity in the Black Sea region is also examined in order to highlight the practical aspects of EU immigration policy in the region. Moreover, a December 2011 report of Human Rights Watch concerning FRONTEX’ activity in the Greek-Turkish land border is used as a case in point in order to highlight the agency’s workings in the region in practice.
