5 things to know about migration czar Magnus Brunner’s European Parliament hearing

Magnus Brunner made it through his hearing in the European Parliament by speaking to both sides of the aisle, dodging tricky questions and lulling the audience with his “no drama” style.

The questioning of Brunner, an Austrian conservative who’s pegged to be the EU’s new migration czar, had all the ingredients required for drama: Far-left MEPs ready to grill him on Israel, far-right lawmakers looking to make noise and big ethical questions hanging over Europe’s push to crack down on migration to the bloc.

The lawyer-by-training managed to navigate these traps by sticking to his script and communicating — cautiously — in his mother tongue, German. Tying himself to a few firm commitments, he avoided getting locked into positions on thorny matters like EU funding for physical border barriers or age verification for migrants, usually by dodging those questions altogether.

It helped that after the first section of the hearing, MEPs didn’t have a chance to follow up on their questions after Brunner’s replies. Here are the highlights from his confirmation hearing.

1. Speaking to both sides of the aisle 

Though he hails from the conservative European People’s Party, Brunner came prepared to convince both the center left and center right to back him as the European Commission’s new migration czar. Brunner threw out red meat to the conservatives by insisting on the need to enhance the EU’s deportation policy, beef up the Frontex border agency and develop new tools for the EU’s internal security. Then he turned to the center left, arguing that “another piece of unfinished business is legal pathways to attract talent” — explicitly name-checking a pledge in the socialists’ election manifesto. 

The trick appeared to work as Brunner avoided censure by either big faction or any groups on the far left or far right. Brunner was also careful to pay homage to the European Parliament. In this sense, he’s looking to the future: If the European Commission wants to push through new legislation on migration, including a new policy on deportations, he will need Parliament’s support. In the past, that’s been a nonstarter. Now, with a bigger right-wing faction in Parliament, migration hawks believe they can win support for tougher policies.

2. Committing to new legislation on deportations

Brunner publicly backed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s promise to put forward a new deportations directive (known in EU jargon as the “returns directive”), but he didn’t give details on when the Commission will be in the position to announce the proposal, despite being pressured by several lawmakers. He would only say Parliament should not expect to have a draft before June 2025, once the Commission’s consulted stakeholders, including NGOs. 

“I commit [to] providing parliament with relevant information when it comes to comprehensive partnerships with third countries,” he added.

3. BFFs with Frontex and Europol

Among Brunner’s favorite subjects during his hearing was Frontex, Europe’s border agency, which he repeatedly referred to as a sort-of catch-all solution to migration. Seated across from Frontex’s former boss Fabrice Leggeri, who’s now a far-right MEP with France’s National Rally party, Brunner pledged to bolster Frontex’s staff to 30,000 during his mandate and modernize the bloc’s border policing technology. “This will help Frontex make a bigger contribution to helping member states,” he said. This is in keeping with proposals from the conservative European People’s Party, to which Brunner belongs, to triple the border agency’s staff from 10,000 currently. 

Brunner also pledged to come up with a new “internal strategy for security,” adding that there has to be “an improvement of Europol” including “better exchange of information between [European security] agencies,” as well as a new action plan to combat drug trafficking.

4. Going easy on Meloni but parrying far-right 

One of the most controversial aspects of Europe’s migration policy of recent months has been Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s creation of a detention center for migrants in Albania. The facility in Albania is seen as a litmus test for leaders’ plans to open further such centers in countries outside the EU, which would be delicately referred to as “return hubs” in EU parlance. Brunner was careful not to risk stoking Meloni’s ire. “We have to be open to new things,” he said when asked about the legality of Meloni’s plans. The European Commission needs to look at “experience that can be gained,” he told MEPs. “Without knowing how it’s going to work, I think we have to be fairly open.”

However, Brunner was ultra-careful about being drawn on demands from the far right. Repeatedly quizzed about EU funding for physical border barriers and age verification for migrants, the Austrian repeatedly avoided clear answers, defaulting to generalities about the need to balance solidarity and security. 

5. “Fair but firm” (and boring?)

This man has a mantra and it is “fair but firm.” He sprinkles it on just about anything served up to him. He’s also partial to jaw-droppers such as “we need to balance security and solidarity,” and warned his audience up front that, as a lawyer-by-training, he loves rules and is “no showman.”

That’s putting it lightly. Brunner seemed determined to lull his audience into a snooze by making vague, slightly soporific statements and, more commonly, ignoring difficult questions altogether. But there seems to be a method to this madness. Brunner has one of the most controversial files in the European Union. EU leaders are pushing for policies that would have been considered radical just a few years ago. As he prepares to tackle a policy wishlist including EU funding for physical border barriers, sped-up deportations and deportation centers, Brunner clearly wants to take the heat — and controversy — out of these life-or-death questions by boiling them down to colorless legal language.