The European Union should gradually abolish internal border controls between member states, the bloc's migration chief has said, arguing that the new migration rules are already showing results.

Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, said in an interview with the European Newsroom published on Thursday that illegal border crossings into the EU fell by 37% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. The interview was conducted by journalists from the dpa, APA and CTK news agencies.

Brunner said member states had begun implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which took effect this year, and that in light of the figures it was now time to "gradually" lift internal border controls, such as the checks still in place in Germany and Austria.

The 37% figure matches preliminary Frontex data, which recorded just over 49,000 irregular crossings at the EU's external borders in the first six months of 2026. The decline covered most major migration routes, although crossings on the Western Mediterranean route rose.

The Commission's second annual report on asylum and migration, published on Friday, paints a similar picture over a longer window. Irregular entries fell by 32% between July 2025 and June 2026, asylum applications dropped by 16% to 730,800, and the rate at which people ordered to leave were actually returned rose to 31%, up from 26%.

The report still names Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain as the four member states under migratory pressure. Brunner said arrivals along the Eastern Mediterranean route had fallen, but Greece still faced challenges, in particular because of arrivals from Libya.

Brunner also presented plans for a stronger Frontex and a more digital returns process, alongside a proposed 2027 annual solidarity pool under which member states share responsibility for asylum seekers.

[Source: eurotoday.org](https://eurotoday.org/migration-commissioner-magnus-brunner-discusses-the-pros-and-cons-of-eu-membership/) | [Source: cyprusnews.app](https://cyprusnews.app/cyprus-still-under-migration-pressure-despite-fall-in-irregular-crossings/)