In the first half of 2022, there were approximately 114,720 irregular entries to the European Union, according to Frontex’s preliminary calculations.
The most recent data from Frontex show that the number of irregular entries to the EU has increased significantly. In the first six months of 2022, the EU registered 84 per cent more irregular entries than in the same period last year, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Frontex explained that the sharpest increase was recorded on the Western Balkan route. The number of detections on this route increased almost three times more compared to the first half of 2021.
Such an increase in the Western Balkan route has been attributed to crossing attempts made by migrants already present in the Western Balkans.
Only in June 2022, Frontex registered 23,290 irregular crossings into the bloc, which is 59 per cent more than in June 2021.
Frontex revealed that except for the Western Balkan route, the Central Mediterranean route, the Eastern land border route, the Eastern Mediterranean route, and the Channel towards the UK were the top migratory route in the first half of 2022.
Frontex registered 25,164 irregular crossings in the first six months of 2022 on the Central Mediterranean route, 23 per cent more than in the same period last year. Additionally, in June alone, the route registered 5,651 illegal crossings. The main nationalities on this route were Egyptians, Bangladeshis, and Tunisians.
On the Eastern land border route, Frontex noted that it registered 2,452 irregular crossings, 141 per cent more than in June 2021. The main nationalities who used this route were Ukrainians, Iraqis, and Belarusians.
In contrast to the other routes, the Western Balkan route accounted for half of all the detections. Frontex registered 55,321 illegal crossings in the Western Balkan route, which is nearly three times the total from the same period last year. The main nationalities on the Western Balkan route included migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, as well as Türkiye.
The number of detections was also high on the Eastern Mediterranean route. This route registered 17,957 arrivals due to the persistent number of arrivals from Cyprus. In addition, the same route recorded 2,220 illegal crossings. The majority of migrants came from Nigeria, Syria, and Congo.
The number of migrants trying to cross the Channel towards the United Kingdom was also high. There were more than 22,440 detections in the first half of this year, 87 per cent more than in June 2021.
EU has just recently warned the Member States of new migration waves. Due to the food crisis that people all over the world are facing, the Executive Director of Frontex, Aija Kalnaja, said that the EU Member States have to be prepared for more incoming refugees.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
