Key facts
- EU Agency for Fundamental Rights warned of serious risks at bloc's external borders.
- Mass migration to Ceuta in July 2026 tested balance between rights and border protection.
- Over 70,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in 48 hours in late July 2026.
- EU plans emergency response framework for migration, with flexibility in procedures.
- Greece proposed suspending asylum applications in emergencies, potentially leading to pushbacks.
- 12 EU countries opened 322 criminal investigations into rights violations from 2020-2025, with nine convictions.
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights warned of serious risks to fundamental rights at the bloc's external borders, citing the mass arrival of migrants to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in July 2026 as a test of the balance between human rights and border security. In late July, over 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta within 48 hours. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to develop an emergency response framework that allows for defined flexibility in standard procedures. Greece has advocated for suspending asylum applications during emergencies, a move that could lead to prohibited pushbacks. The agency emphasized that any emergency measures must comply with EU and international law, including the right to seek asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Between 2020 and 2025, 12 EU countries initiated 322 preliminary criminal investigations into rights violations at borders, resulting in only nine convictions, which the report stated risks undermining the rule of law.