A total of 102,000 people attempted to reach European Union countries by crossing in an irregular way the bloc’s external borders in the first five months of this year, accounting for an increase of 12 per cent compared to the same period in last year’s statistics.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, has revealed that the Central Mediterranean route saw the largest number of irregular border crossings, remaining the main migratory route in the EU, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
For a period from January until May this year, more than 50,300 detections were reported by national authorities in the Central Mediterranean route, thus accounting for nearly half of the irregular entries to the bloc this year.
“The arrivals on the Central Mediterranean route drove the rise of 12 per cent of all entries to the EU, as arrivals on all the other migratory routes saw declines ranging from 6 per cent on the Western Mediterranean up to 47 per cent on the Western African route,” the statements read.
According to Frontex, the decline was mainly the result of long periods of bad weather conditions, however, the migratory pressure in this area remained high, stressing that an increase in the activity of smugglers in this territory is expected in the following months.
At the same time, for a period from January until May, the Western Balkan route, the second most active route with more than 30,700 detections experienced a decrease of 25 per cent compared to last year’s same period statistics.
In the first five months of the year, the number of detections almost doubled (160 per cent more) compared to the same period last year, thus accounting for the highest number since 2017.
“More than 2,700 standing corps officers and Frontex staff are involved in various operations supporting member states and neighbouring countries in protecting the EU’s external borders and fighting crime,” the statement reads.
Authorities in EU countries are continuously dealing with an influx of migrants who attempt to reach the bloc’s countries in an unlawful way.
A Statewatch report previously revealed that Frontex assisted in the deportation of nearly 25,000 people from the EU countries last year.
The same source said that the increased number of deportations registered last year accounted for a new record, with the majority of people being removed on scheduled flights as well as voluntary return procedures.
According to the Statewatch report, in the second half of last year, 13,684 people were removed from EU countries with the support of Frontex.