Since the beginning of the year, the European border protection agency Frontex has registered 80,000 illegal entry attempts. This is significantly less than in the previous year. However, some migration routes have been much more frequently used than recently.
The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell by almost a quarter in the first five months of the year, according to the European border protection agency Frontex. According to the report, 80,000 attempts to enter the country were registered by the end of May.
That is 23 percent less than at the same time last year. The former main migration routes in the central Mediterranean and the Western Balkans recorded strong declines.
Entry attempts rise elsewhere
Other migration routes were more frequently used, including the sea route to the Canary Islands off the West African coast. Here, the number of entry attempts quadrupled. The most frequently used route was via the eastern Mediterranean.
| route | January-May 2024 | Increase and decrease compared to the same period last year |
|---|---|---|
Central Mediterranean | 21,330 | -58% |
Eastern Mediterranean | 21,773 | +103% |
West African coast | 17,976 | +303% |
Western Balkans | 8,938 | -71% |
Western Mediterranean | 5,186 | +24% |
Eastern EU land border | 4,451 | +96% |
Travelling to Great Britain | 21,820 | +38% |
Frontex stressed that sea crossings are still dangerous for people. According to the International Organization for Migration, 923 people have been reported missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. Most of them were on their way to Italy and Malta.
Trouble with Frontex
Internal investigations into allegations of pushbacks have caused unrest at Frontex in the past. In the past, cases have repeatedly come to light in which border guards have illegally and sometimes violently prevented migrants from entering the EU. Furthermore, according to research by ndr and WDR Difficulties with their new elite unit.