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Over 13,200 people attempted to reach European countries by crossing illegally the European Union’s external borders, in January this year, marking a 12 per cent decrease compared to the figures of the same month in 2022.
Such figures have been revealed by the recent report provided by the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Frontex shows that the Western Balkans route continued to see a large number of illegal border crossings in January 2023, or 43 per cent of the total, despite the fact that the situation compared to last year’s same period remained the same (5 per cent decrease year-on-year).
At the same time, it was emphasized that the Western African, as well as the Western Mediterranean route, were subject to the most profound decline in detections in the first month of this year, or more specifically, 82 per cent and 49 per cent decrease. The main reason for such a decline was harsh weather conditions affecting departures.
“Another reason for this decrease is the increased patrolling and preventive activities implemented by the non-EU countries, primarily Morocco. In the coming months, deteriorating seasonal weather conditions in the Mediterranean will continue to affect illegal border-crossing attempts leading to a decrease in arrival numbers,” Frontex revealed in a statement.
In contrast to the routes mentioned above, the Central Mediterranean route experienced the most significant increase regarding detections of irregular migrants, in January this year, compared to the figures of the same period last year.
It was reported that the majority of migrants detected in the Central Mediterranean route continue to depart from Tunisia as well as Libya and Turkey.
Frontex noted that even though the number of arrivals was high, weather conditions significantly impacted the number of incidents that were recorded in the Central Mediterranean route while adding that people smugglers exploited good weather in order to organise departures.
Authorities in European countries are continuously dealing with an increased number of people who attempt to enter these territories in an unlawful way, while they are continuously working in order to manage the situation.
Frontex noted that in 2022, the number of illegal border crossings detected at the external borders of the EU was 330,000, accounting for the highest increase since 2016. The figures for 2022 were up by 64 per cent in comparison to 2021 data.
In addition, Frontex reported that the Western Balkan route was the most affected one, with nearly half of all detections recorded in this route. Citizens from Syria, Afghanistan, and Tunisia attempted the most to reach European countries by crossing the EU’s external borders illegally.
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