Rabat – European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, has said that Morocco remains on the EU list of safe countries of origin, which accelerates the return of irregular migrants.
Brunner commended cooperation between Spain and Morocco, echoing statements from the Spanish government that Rabat has been working alongside Madrid since the onset of the Ceuta crisis through extensive deployments of security forces to contain the situation and facilitate voluntary returns.
The situation dates back to July 30, when an unusually high number of crossing attempts and arrivals were recorded at the Spanish enclave, with Morocco putting the number at 40,000.
Spanish reports and officials, however, indicate that the official number of people who entered the enclave is estimated at more than 70,000, confirming the immediate return of those who crossed the border.
Spain and Morocco agreed on their return on the same day of the incident, reflecting Morocco’s cooperation with Madrid amid criticism and anti-Morocco rhetoric by the far right and those alleging Rabat was involved in facilitating migrants’ entry.
Spanish news agency EFE said Brunner was asked whether Morocco had “any involvement in the migration crisis,” a question he declined to comment on.
“I understand that there is an ongoing investigation into the matter in Spain. Therefore, I cannot comment further. But there was, of course, some misinformation spread by human traffickers,” he said on Tuesday.
Brunner emphasized that the situation is now under control, stating that the crisis had served as “a test of security.”
The voluntary return of 70,000 people resulted from “close cooperation between Spain, Morocco, and the European Commission over the past few days,” Brunner added.
Claims targeting Morocco come as Spanish government officials continue to back Rabat and its effective migration policy.
Earlier this week, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares commended Morocco’s cooperation, stating that Rabat offered its support “from the very beginning” to curb the flow and ensure the immediate return of migrants.
“The vast majority of those who entered have already returned to Morocco, and Morocco continues to cooperate so that every last person who entered returns,” Albares said.
He clarified that the situation in Ceuta unfolded between Thursday and Friday last week, noting that at least 50,000 people entered the enclave by sea from Morocco.
Describing the situation as “unprecedented,” Albares said that the return of thousands of migrants happened within 48 hours, with Morocco’s full cooperation.
“I rely on the facts. And the facts are that from the very beginning, Morocco offered its cooperation to try to stop that flow of people and, above all, to ensure they returned immediately,” he said in an interview with RTVE.
The accusations against Morocco also come amid Spanish reports confirming that digital misinformation resulted in the mass crossing.
Spanish newspaper El País reported last week that videos circulating on TikTok claimed the Spanish “border is open,” triggering unprecedented movement toward the enclave.
An open-source intelligence report by Spanish security analyst José María “Chema” Gil Garré says the attempted mass crossing into Ceuta on July 30–31 was preceded by a digital mobilization campaign that intensified over several weeks.
One of the report’s main findings is the identification of at least two public WhatsApp groups administered from phone numbers with Algeria’s international dialing code, +213.
