In the course of 2014 almost 215,000 refugees crossed the southern Mediterranean Sea border to apply for asylum in the European Union (EU). In 2015, one million reached the EU. For 2016, the UNHCR foresees that one million refugees and migrants could be attempting to reach Europe by using the Eastern corridor, namely Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes. The attempts by the EU to manage these unprecedented movements have been characterised by the prevalence of a security-based approach, the tendency to put migrants and refugees in the same box, and the prioritisation of border control. This brief reviews already existing policy proposals and programmes, to explore how the EU can effectively manage a million entries per year, i.e. differentiating those that are unauthorised entries while at the same time guaranteeing refugee protection and respecting migrant rights.