Irregular border crossings into the European Union fell by 39 per cent to 139,847 in the first eight months of this year.
According to recent European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) data, the Western Balkans and Central Mediterranean routes experienced the largest declines, with drops of 77 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, Schengen.News reports.
At the same time, the Central Mediterranean saw a 64 per cent decrease in crossings, totalling 41,250 from January to August. This reduction is largely due to preventive actions by Tunisian, Libyan, and Turkish authorities and agreements between the EU and key countries of departure.
Despite the decline, the Central Mediterranean remains the most trafficked route to the EU. However, the Eastern Mediterranean route has increased by 39 per cent, reaching 37,163 crossings.
As Frontex explains, smugglers are adapting by using speedboats to avoid detection, particularly around Greek islands. The Western Balkan route also saw a significant decrease, with detections down 77 per cent to just over 14,669.
The West African route continued to record unprecedented numbers of detections. By the end of August, the total number of arrivals in the Canary Islands was more than 25,500, an increase of 123 per cent in comparison with the same period last year.
Frontex data further revealed that the Eastern Land Borders saw a substantial rise in arrivals this year, up 193 per cent to approximately 11,270. Meanwhile, on the Channel route, detections grew by 13 per cent in the first eight months of 2024, totalling 41,078.
Major Declines on Western Balkans & Central Mediterranean Routes in First 7 Months of 2024
Previous figures of the same authority also show that 113,400 people attempted to enter the EU irregularly in the first seven months of the same year, marking a 36 per cent decrease compared to the same period of 2023. Significant drops in irregular crossings were observed on the Western Balkans and Central Mediterranean routes, with reductions of 75 per cent and 64 per cent for each one.
The Central Mediterranean remains the most active migratory route to the EU. This year’s decrease can be attributed mainly to preventive measures by the Tunisian and Libyan authorities to disrupt the activities of smugglers.
However, irregular border crossings at the EU’s external borders increased by 18 per cent in the first eight months of 2023, reaching over 232,350—a record high for January-August since 2016.
