European Commission proposes plan to respond to mass migrant arrivals — Anadolu Agency

In Türkiye, the European Commission has proposed a five-point plan designed to help the EU prevent and respond to sudden large-scale cases of irregular arrivals of people at the external borders. This was reported by Anadolu Agency.

Five areas of the plan

The initiative provides for enhanced cooperation with partner countries, strengthening external borders, improving early warning systems, countering networks engaged in migrant smuggling, and more effective returns.

The European Commission said that the increase in arrivals in Ceuta this summer had prompted the proposal. According to the institution, this case demonstrated how quickly an emergency situation can arise, despite the number of irregular border crossings being at its lowest level since 2021.

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Frontex powers and returns

The Commission proposes creating a new European emergency response system for situations in which mass movements of people are artificially organized and used as a tool of pressure. It also intends to propose a strengthened mandate for the EU border guard agency Frontex, including for the immediate deployment of personnel and equipment and broader involvement of the agency in return procedures.

For early warning purposes, Frontex may be given the possibility of monitoring social media in connection with external border management. Member states were also recommended to promptly report events affecting borders through the EUROSUR surveillance system.

The plan provides for cooperation with online platforms and financial institutions to identify smugglers' activities and illicit financial flows. The European Commission also called on the EU Council to adopt the proposed sanctions regime, which would allow assets to be frozen and entry bans to be imposed on persons engaged in migrant smuggling. Regarding returns, the Commission called for strengthened cooperation with countries of origin and transit on readmission and for broader use of Frontex support. The plan will be presented to member states at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on October 1–2.