The Munich Migration Meeting was launched by Germany as an informal forum for European ministers to exchange views on migration policy and discuss possible common approaches. The first meeting took place in October 2025. The 2026 meeting addressed how Europe could respond to situations of exceptional pressure at its external borders, following the recent events in Ceuta, and provided an opportunity to discuss cooperation with third countries on returns and readmission. The meeting also provided an opportunity to prepare upcoming discussions in the EU Council and the European Council.

Discussions covered the strengthening of the EU’s external borders and the role of Frontex, cooperation with third countries to facilitate returns, and the response to exceptional pressure at the EU’s external borders. In a statement following the meeting, Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt said she had called for a stronger role for Frontex and more effective returns, arguing that the EU should make greater use of its economic and diplomatic leverage to encourage third countries to readmit their nationals. She also said that Belgium wanted to give the Migration and Asylum Pact sufficient time to prove itself in practice before carrying out a thorough review in June 2027, with a view to identifying bottlenecks and areas where the rules could be made simpler or more efficient.

Following the discussions, German Minister Dobrindt said that there had been broad agreement among the participating countries on strengthening Frontex. He called for a European migration crisis mechanism and proposed a rapid-response capacity that could allow Frontex to support Member States within 24 hours in exceptional situations at the external borders, referring to the recent situation in Ceuta. He also pointed to discussions on using Frontex more extensively in return operations and Dublin procedures, as well as ongoing work by a group of Member States and the European Commission on return hubs outside the EU.

For more information, read the statement by Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (in Dutch) and watch the BR24 video report on the Munich Migration Meeting.