Brunner: The EU’s good work on migration was overshadowed by events in Ceuta

European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner said images of the mass wave of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in late July overshadowed the EU’s good statistics on migration.

“I would say that images sometimes obscure the best statistics,” he told reporters in Brussels during the presentation of a new plan to strengthen security at the EU’s external borders.

More than 72,000 people flooded into the enclave from Morocco in late July, although most left later. Spain estimates 12,000 migrants remain in the small territory, including minors.

Brunner said earlier this month that, while there had been a significant drop in irregular migrant arrivals in Europe, images from Ceuta had nevertheless fueled support for far-right parties.