News News•
The number of people arriving irregularly in the European Union has fallen by almost a third in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
According to priority facts According to the European border agency Frontex, around 94,000 irregular migrants arrived in the European Union between January 1 and the end of June, a 30 percent drop. Most of the irregular migrants come from Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.
This decline is striking. Last year, the number of irregular migrants arriving in the EU peaked at around 380,000, the highest number since 2016. The number of irregular migrants has increased, especially via the Mediterranean routes.
New data from Frontex shows that migration via this route has fallen sharply over the past six months. The number of migrants observed has fallen by 61% via the Central Mediterranean (from Tunisia and Libya to Italy and Greece, for example) and by 72% via the Western Balkans.
Tunisia deal
Frontex has not offered any explanation for the refusal. The Tunisia deal may play a role. In 2023, Tunisian President Saied received hundreds of millions of euros from the EU in exchange for stopping migrants in his country. Since then, fewer migrants appear to be able to cross from Tunisia to Italy.
Although the number of irregular migrants arriving in Europe via the Central Mediterranean has decreased, this remains the most used route. Nearly 26,000 irregular migrants have crossed the border in the past six months, according to what Frontex has been able to monitor. This mainly concerns Tunisians, Syrians and Bangladeshis.
Canary Islands
On other routes, the number of irregular migrants is increasing. Frontex has observed the largest increase on the so-called West African route, which leads to the Canary Islands. Nearly 20,000 migrants arrived on the islands in the first six months, more than double the number in the first six months of 2023, when there were 7,692 people.
Another migration route that has become increasingly popular is via the Eastern Mediterranean. This involves the land and sea route from Turkey to Greece, via Bulgaria and Northern Cyprus to Greece. In the first six months of this year, nearly 25,000 irregular migrants reached Europe via this route, an increase of 75 percent.