EU Commission unveils five-point plan to shore up external borders

The European Commission is proposing a five-point plan to shore up its external borders and improve its ability to respond to sudden, large-scale arrivals, following a summer marked by renewed pressure along the it’s eastern and southern frontiers.

The package, unveiled as EU governments prepare to discuss migration and border security at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on October 1-2, aims to bolster cooperation with countries outside the bloc, expand the operational role of Frontex, improve early-warning systems, target migrant-smuggling networks and accelerate the return of people who have no right to remain in the EU.

The summer crisis in Ceuta, in particular, demonstrated how quickly mass arrivals can develop into an emergency at an EU external border.

The Commission says the EU’s existing migration framework is producing results, with illegal border crossings at their lowest level since 2021. But officials argue that recent incidents have exposed vulnerabilities in the bloc’s ability to respond when migration flows increase suddenly and on a large scale.