The number of detected illegal European Union border crossings in the first nine months of 2024 fell by 42 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2024, EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday.
Frontex released its latest statistics shortly before the bloc’s leaders’ summit in Brussels this week, where immigration is one of the main topics on the agenda.
Frontex specified that 166,000 border crossings were recorded this year – a 42 per cent drop from 2023. The biggest decrease was seen on routes through the Western Balkans and the Central Mediterranean. The number of migrants attempting to pass through the Western Balkans was about 17,000, 79 per cent less than a year earlier. Through the Central Mediterranean, 47,700 entered the EU, a 64 per cent decrease.
In contrast, the number of crossings via the West African route doubled, with more than 30,000 irregular migrants entering the EU from these countries over the same period. At the EU’s eastern borders, especially in Poland, almost 13,200 crossings were recorded – an increase of 192 per cent compared to last year.
EU countries call for stricter migration controls
Poland and its Central European neighbours, including the Czech Republic, last week called for stricter migration controls than those under a new pact on migration and asylum due to come into force in 2026. The rules adopted in May aim to spread responsibility for placing asylum seekers across the 27 EU countries and speed up the deportation of those deemed unacceptable to stay.
The decline in irregular migration coincides with the strengthening of populist and far-right parties in Europe, which made gains in the European Parliament elections in the spring. This is pushing many EU countries and the European Commission as a whole to adopt tougher migration policies.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to tighten legislation to expel illegal migrants. She noted that only about 20 per cent of foreign nationals who have received exit orders have actually left the EU.
