Brussels, 29 September 2026
On Tuesday, the Commission is proposing a 5-point plan to prevent, anticipate and respond to sudden, mass illegal arrivals. It will strengthen the resilience and security of EU external borders.
The EU has a comprehensive and resilient framework in place to manage migration – and one which has shown clear results, with illegal border crossings at their lowest level since 2021. However, recent events have put the EU’s borders to the test, from the Eastern borders to the shores of the Mediterranean. This summer’s crisis in Ceuta showed how quickly sudden, massive arrivals can build up at the EU’s external borders and lead to emergency situations.
As President von der Leyen underlined in her State of the Union speech, the events of this summer show that our tools need to evolve – especially for emergency situations.
Such situations threaten our common security and unity, and lead to an unacceptable loss of lives. The protection of the EU’s external borders is a shared European responsibility. A common European response, united action and solidarity are essential.
In reply to the events in Ceuta, President von der Leyen has set out five key areas to guide EU action. Building on the European Strategy on Asylum and Migration of January 2026, the Commission sets out now the way forward in these five areas with key actions for different actors, expanding the existing tools and frameworks and creating new ones as needed:
I. Increasing cooperation with partner countries to prevent illegal migration
Stronger cooperation with partner countries including on monitoring, early warning and information exchange is key to reducing illegal migration. Priority areas include:
- Addressing the root causes of illegal migration with partner countries, creating meaningful opportunities for people in their home countries, with a new Mediterranean Youth Skills and Jobs initiative and work on new Gateway Offices to promote legal and safe mobility to the EU;
- A strong crisis management dimension in new and existing partnerships, with efficient early warning mechanisms and protocols;
- Closer cooperation between Frontex, Europol and Eurojust and partner countries, to improve the exchange of information, risk and threat analyses, and intelligence on migration trends and routes;
- Developing European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) Coordination Centres with partner countries to strengthen pre-frontier intelligence exchange and risk assessment.
II. Strengthening EU external borders
While the protection of the EU’s external borders is primarily a Member State responsibility, the EU will step up its support to deter and respond to future emergencies or crises, including with:
- Work on a new European Emergency Response Framework to protect the security of EU borders at all times, especially in scenarios when mass movements are engineered and weaponised, as announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech;
- A Commission proposal to strengthen Frontex mandate, including with a reinforced Standing Corps for immediate deployment of personnel and equipment, a stronger role in returns, closer cooperation with partner countries, and a strong capacity to monitor the external border and pre-frontier areas.
- Targeted support to Member States for reinforcing sensitive segments of the EU external borders.
- Provision of support through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, upon request from Member States.
III. Improving monitoring, situational awareness and early warning systems
To avert future crises and improve monitoring and situational awareness, the plan sets out the following key actions:
- Proposing to reinforce Frontex’s mandate to enable it to conduct social media monitoring for better situational awareness and operational support in the context of external borders management;
- Member States should provide timely and relevant information to the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) and immediately report developments with an impact on the EU’s external borders;
- Deliver agile responses to emerging migration trends, evolving patterns, and rapid spread of mis- and disinformation through the Global Alliance Rapid Response Initiatives (GARRI);
- Develop an agile framework for making full use of the tools available under the Digital Services Act to respond to crises and incidents, with new protocols to ensure structured and immediate cooperation and information sharing with very large online platforms, search engines and national authorities.
- New digital partnerships with partner countries to detect and respond to online content fuelling illegal migration;
IV. Dismantling migrant smuggling and trafficking networks
Effectively tackling illegal migration requires dismantling the smuggling and trafficking networks behind it. Efforts will be stepped up in the following areas:
- The Council should swiftly adopt the proposed sanctions regime which will allow the EU to impose asset freezes and travel bans targeting migrant smugglers;
- Parliament to agree as a matter of urgency to the negotiating position on the revised Facilitation Directive modernising the EU anti-smuggling framework, followed by swift inter-institutional negotiations; co-legislators to step up interinstitutional negotiations on the new mandate for Europol;
- Reinforced cooperation with online platforms, including within the EU Internet Forum, as well as financial institutions and digital payment service providers, to ensure they can detect online smuggling activities and support Member States in identifying, tracing and detecting illicit financial flows;
- Further strengthening Europol’ s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling.
V. Reinforcing returns
Effective migration management depends on a common EU system for swift returns and on partner countries’ capacity to manage returns themselves. Reinforcing this requires:
- Enhancing cooperation with third countries on readmission, using all available tools, instruments and policies to foster better cooperation, including trade, development cooperation and visa;
- Stepping up the role of Frontex on returns of third country nationals with no right to stay in the EU;
- Member States also need to implement the new Return Regulation and the return border procedure and make wider use of the Frontex support which is already available for return, readmission and reintegration;
- Increasing the effectiveness of return and reducing administrative burden through the digitalisation of procedures.
Next steps
The 5-point plan will be presented to Member States at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 1-2 October 2026. Addressing the challenges identified requires joint actions by the Member States, the JHA Agencies and the Commission and this 5-point plan will be taken forward in a coordinated manner by all of them.
Read the 5-Points Plan
For more information
5-point plan to prevent, anticipate and respond to sudden, mass illegal arrivals
Quote(s)
A stronger Europe starts with stronger external borders. By using secure digital tools, better data-sharing and smarter technologies, we are supporting our border authorities manage migration more effectively, combat cross-border crime, and ensure the security of our external borders.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Good policy never stands still. Building on our five-year migration strategy, we are taking the next steps. We will reinforce our foundation of strong external borders, effective migration diplomacy, the Pact on Migration and Asylum, and credible returns by strengthening Frontex, proposing a new European emergency response framework, and deepening our partnerships with countries of origin and transit. Europe needs a system that is firm, fair and adaptable.
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration
Source – EU Commission
Ceuta: EU Parliament demands stronger protection of EU’s external borders
-
MEPs denounce the instrumentalisation of irregular migrants as a hybrid warfare tool.
-
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ceuta and Melilla must be upheld.
-
Spain’s large-scale regularisation a pull factor and wrong signal
-
Spain should apply the Migration and Asylum Pact in full and cooperate with Morocco on readmissions.
MEPs condemn the mass irregular crossings into Ceuta and call for increased EU support, cooperation with Morocco and the return of persons with no right to stay.
MEPs express deep sorrow for the 141 people who died at sea during the events of 30 and 31 July 2026. While regretting the preventable loss of life , Parliament denounces the instrumentalisation of irregular migration as a tool of hybrid warfare against the territorial integrity of an EU country. Strengthening the protection of the EU’s external borders in Ceuta is of the utmost priority, MEPs say.
In a plenary resolution, adopted by 339 to 225, with 16 abstentions, Parliament expresses its full support for and solidarity with the people of Ceuta and Melilla. These are two Spanish, and European, cities “whose sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond question”. The MEPs praise the remarkable responsibility and resilience shown by Ceuta’s citizens and local authorities during this unprecedented crisis.
The MEPs commend the work of the Policia Nacional, the Guardia Civil, the Spanish armed forces, the Spanish Red Cross, Caritas, non-governmental organisations, and civil society organisations involved in the response to the crisis, and condemn the acts of violence that have been recorded in Ceuta since end of July. They call for reinforcement of the police and security forces in the city, noting that public order and security have remained at risk since then. The Spanish government should make full and effective use of EU emergency funding, granted by the Commission, and of operational support from EU agencies. It should also cooperate fully with and support the ongoing judicial investigation at national level into the July events.
According to Parliament, the large scale regularisation policy pursued by the Spanish government acts as a pull factor and sends the wrong signal to potential migrants and smuggling networks . MEPs want the Commission to assess the possible cross-border impact on secondary movements and the functioning of the Schengen Area of these kinds of national schemes.
Protecting the EU’s external borders is a responsibility shared between the member states, and any failure to act decisively undermines the integrity of the Schengen Area as a whole, warns Parliament. All member states have to fully assume their responsibilities in preventing and combatting migrant smuggling. The Commission and all member states should step up their efforts and increase funding, including for external border protection infrastructure, enhance Frontex’s capabilities, and ensure that all instruments are swiftly deployable in crisis situations, says the text.
MEPs also note that the Pact on Migration and Asylum has been applicable since 12 June 2026, underlining Spain’s responsibility to make full use of this legal and operational framework. They demand the swift return of all those who have no right to remain in the EU, including unaccompanied minors, in full compliance with EU and international law. Spain and Morocco should accelerate their cooperation on returns and readmissions of all the irregular migrants who arrived during the mass illegal crossing at the end of July, they add.
EU relations with neighbouring non-EU countries must be based on reciprocity, Parliament underlines, adding that preferential market access and financing should be conditional on effective cooperation, including on border management, migrant smuggling and readmission.
The resolution calls on the Moroccan authorities to fulfil their responsibilities and commitments on border management, return and migration cooperation. MEPs demand unconditional respect for the territorial integrity of EU countries as a fundamental principle of international law. Any statement calling Spanish sovereignty into question is unacceptable and incompatible with the obligations of a partner country, they declare.
Further information
ECR delegation warns Ceuta remains far from normality after assessing the situation first-hand
Brussels, 25 September 2026
An ECR Group delegation visiting Ceuta has warned that the city remains far from returning to normal almost two months after the large-scale illegal border crossings of 30 and 31 July.
The delegation, comprising ECR MEPs Diego Solier (Spain), Stefano Cavedagna (Italy), Marion Maréchal (France), Nicolas Bay (France) and Sebastian Tynkkynen (Finland) travelled to Ceuta to assess the situation first-hand, meeting representatives of the Autonomous City of Ceuta and visiting areas affected by the consequences of the July border crossings, both by sea and on land.
During the institutional meeting, local authorities described the continuing pressure on Ceuta’s public services and the impact that the situation is having on the daily lives of its residents.
According to the local authorities, exceptional situations such as the mass illegal entries experienced this summer require exceptional and effective return measures. They also called for additional resources to relieve the pressure on public services and allow the city to return to normality as quickly as possible.
The authorities stressed that the consequences are being felt across Ceuta’s population, affecting families, children and elderly residents and their ability to carry on with their normal daily lives.
Following the visit, the ECR delegation expressed concern about the situation it observed and questioned whether the measures announced so far are sufficient to restore normality.
The delegation highlighted the continued visible presence throughout the city of people who entered illegally and raised concerns about the authorities’ capacity to establish their identity and legal status and to maintain an accurate picture of how many people remain in Ceuta.
The delegation considers that restoring effective control, completing the identification and registration procedures required by law, accelerating lawful returns and providing adequate resources to Ceuta should now be priorities.
The European Commission has repeatedly stated that the priority is the return of those who remain illegally in Ceuta. It has also confirmed that it is working with the Spanish and Moroccan authorities to support those returns.
Diego Solier, Head of the Spanish Delegation of the ECR Group, said:
“The European Commission has made clear that the priority is to return those who remain illegally in Ceuta. Morocco has stated that it is ready to take back those who entered illegally. So the question for Pedro Sánchez’s Government is very simple: why are the returns not taking place faster? What is preventing the Spanish Government from acting?
“What we have seen today is a city that wants its normal life back. This cannot become Ceuta’s new normal. European assistance is available, cooperation with Morocco is available and the legal instruments are available. What is needed now is effective implementation.”
On 9 September, the European Commission announced €114.7 million in emergency assistance for Spain following the events in Ceuta, including funding for border surveillance, additional personnel and equipment, reception capacity and measures supporting the return of people remaining illegally in the city.
Stefano Cavedagna said:
“According to reports from citizens and law enforcement, there are currently more than 20,000 illegal immigrants in Ceuta. The government, however, claims there are fewer than 3,000. Morocco has reportedly opened its borders to those who wish to return, but it appears that the Spanish government is doing nothing. Thanks to the work of the ECR, the Parliament has condemned the immigrationist policies of Sánchez and the left. Commitment from European institutions is necessary to free Ceuta from this invasion. Let’s defend Europe’s borders.”
Marion Maréchal said:
“Physically securing our borders, deporting all illegal immigrants, turning back illegitimate asylum seekers and imposing sanctions on foreign countries that use mass migration as a hybrid threat to destabilise us: this is how we can take action.
We came to say this to those who try to violate our borders and our laws, whether in Calais, Lampedusa or Ceuta: this is Europe, this is our home, and you are not welcome here.”
Nicolas Bay said:
“We are here to express our support and solidarity with the local Spanish population, who are bearing the brunt of the migrant influx and the accompanying surge in delinquency, crime and chaos. Whilst many European countries are now defending their borders, Macron in France and Sánchez in Spain are Europe’s weak links.”
Sebastian Tynkkynen said:
“It was terrible to experience the situation in Ceuta first hand. It was much worse than I could have imagined. Illegal immigrants wandered freely all around the city and had taken over the beaches. Pedro Sánchez’s Spain is not a rule-of-law state if it allows lawlessness to run rampant like this.”
The ECR fact-finding delegation visited Ceuta on 24 September following the large-scale illegal entries of 30 and 31 July.
The programme included a maritime visit to areas affected by the illegal border crossings, visits by land to different parts of the city and border area, and an institutional meeting with representatives of the Government of the Autonomous City of Ceuta.
The European Commission has acknowledged the continuing challenges facing Ceuta and has mobilised financial and operational assistance, including support from Frontex, Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum.
Source – ECR Group