Irregular Border Crossing : Thirty-Eight Per cent Drop In 2024

A report published by Warsaw (Poland) based border agency-Frontex has revealed that the number of people entering the European Union by irregular crossings dropped in 2024. The reports states that during this year, a significant 38 per cent drop in irregular border crossings into the European Union was registered, reaching the lowest level since 2021, when migration was still affected by the COVID. Frontex said the drop to just over 239,000 irregular border crossings last year was thanks to intensified EU and partner cooperation against smuggling networks. The biggest fall was registered along the route through the Western Balkans, which saw a 78 per cent drop that Frontex attributed to “strong efforts by regional countries to stem the flow”. The border agency added that irregular entries detected via the Central Mediterranean fell by 59 per cent due to “fewer departures from Tunisia and Libya”.
But despite the decrease, there were notable increases in certain routes. The number of people crossing the EU’s borders with Belarus and Russia jumped by 192 per cent to 17,000. There were 14 per cent more cases, reaching 69,400, of irregular border crossing attempts on the Eastern Mediterranean route, driven by new corridors from eastern Libya, with people predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Egypt. There was also a 18 per cent rise in the number of refugees and migrants taking the Wester...