Commission proposes 5-point plan to strengthen resilience and security of EU external borders

Today, the European 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 the President of the European Commission, Ursula 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.

More information is available in the press release.

You can rewatch the press conference by Commissioner Brunner online.

(For more information: Markus Lammert - Tel: +32 2 296 75 33; Elettra Di Massa - Tel.: +32 2 298 21 61)