The rise is dizzying. The number of irregular entries into the European Union increased by 82% between January and May compared to the same period last year, the European Border Agency, Frontex, announced on Monday (June 13th). For the month of May, the number of admissions increased by 75% year on year, to 23,500, according to a press release publishing preliminary data.
The agency clarified that Ukrainian refugees entering the European Union through border crossings were not taken into account in these calculations. According to Frontex, 5.5 million Ukrainian citizens have entered the EU from Ukraine and Moldova since the start of the Russian invasion in February.
Quadrupling the number of illegal crossings at the eastern border
At the eastern border of the European Union, the number of illegal crossings has more than quadrupled since the beginning of the year to reach 2,155. The main nationalities present on this route were Ukrainian, Iraqi and Belarusian nationals. More than 40,000 irregular entries, three times more than in the same period last year, were recorded via the Balkan route which was used mainly by Syrian and Afghan migrants.
The central Mediterranean route was used by more than 16,000 migrants, mainly of Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Tunisian origin. The number of irregular crossings in the Eastern Mediterranean rose to more than 13,000, up 116% from last year.
In Cyprus, they increased by 213% and represented two out of three illegal crossings on this route. Most of the migrants were from Nigeria, Syria and Congo. Crossings on both sides of the Channel have increased by 122% compared to 2021, according to Frontex.