The European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, stated this Tuesday that the European Union has "passed the test" after the migration crisis in Ceuta, having managed to contain the situation and prevent movements towards the rest of the Schengen area. At the same time, he emphasized that this episode requires drawing "the correct lessons" and pushing forward the implementation of new European policies on borders and migration.
"For now, it is clear that Europe has passed the test. These people have not been able to access the Schengen area and security at the border has been resolved quickly. Now the key for the European Union is to act united and also draw the correct conclusions from these events," the Austrian politician pointed out at the press conference following the extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers.
During that meeting, Brunner highlighted that the Spanish minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, conveyed that the situation remains "under control," that "no one has crossed into the continental territory of Spain," and that the internal free movement area "has not been affected." The commissioner linked this outcome to the collaboration between Spain, Morocco, and the community institutions.
"Europe has never had so much control over illegal migration in recent decades," the commissioner indicated, although he warned that what happened in Ceuta highlights that "those dramatic images surpass the best statistics" and that, in his view, the crisis has tested the EU's resilience and the protection of its external borders. Therefore, he advocated for strengthening the joint response to similar episodes in the future.
Based on this experience, Brunner argued that the priority must be to apply "fully" the new Migration and Asylum Pact and the European Returns Regulation, with "more agile" border procedures and returns, as well as using tools such as the concept of "safe third country," which allows processing international protection requests outside the community territory under certain circumstances.
In the same line, he has supported the five-measure plan promoted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which includes intensifying cooperation with countries of origin and transit, accelerating returns, expanding Frontex support at external borders and in third countries, implementing early warning systems against disinformation campaigns and organized movements, and strengthening the fight against migrant trafficking networks.
In this context, the commissioner has confirmed that Brussels is maintaining negotiations with Morocco to finalize a "comprehensive" partnership agreement in which migration is "one of the central elements." However, he has dissociated this dialogue from the recent events in Ceuta and emphasized that cooperation with Rabat has been "important" to regain control over the situation and enable the rapid return of those who crossed the border irregularly.