European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said EU home affairs ministers expressed “full solidarity with Spain” during a meeting convened on Tuesday (4 Aug) following last week’s mass border crossing in Ceuta.
Brunner said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed the situation was under control, with no one moving to mainland Spain and the Schengen Area remaining unaffected. He added that irregular migration to the EU has fallen by 55% over the past two years, with a further almost 40% decline in 2026, following the implementation of the Common European Asylum System and related migration reforms.
Describing the Ceuta incident as “a test of our European resilience”, Brunner said more than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta within hours, while 75 people lost their lives attempting the journey. He attributed the surge to criminal smuggling networks and online disinformation, stating that “dramatic images beat the best statistics” despite wider declines in irregular migration.
According to Brunner, ministers agreed that the EU should fully implement the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, accelerate border procedures and returns, strengthen cooperation with partner countries including Morocco, expand Frontex support, improve early warning systems against disinformation, and intensify efforts to dismantle migrant smuggling networks.
The meeting also endorsed the five-point plan set out by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with ministers agreeing to advance the measures before the October Justice and Home Affairs Council and the European Council.
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