Europe's migrant crisis in 2024: Numbers fall but attitudes harden

CGTN Europe

While the number of arrivals decreased significantly compared year-on-year, the political and social debate intensified, reshaping the continent's attitudes and approach.   CGTN's Evangelo Sipsas reports.   #migration

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00:00Migration was a hot topic in Europe in 2024, not because of a surge in arrivals,

00:06but because EU countries ramped up calls for stricter measures.

00:10With anti-immigration parties gaining ground and public pressure mounting for tighter borders,

00:15the political focus shifted sharply to controlling migration.

00:21Tackling migration is the best thing to do instead of doing nothing and coming up with something.

00:26No one should be allowed in without a decision taken. You have to wait outside.

00:32In 2024, irregular crossings dropped significantly, with just over 190,000

00:39migrants entering Europe compared to just under 300,000 the previous year.

00:44But individual countries see different trends. Greece has seen a surge in arrivals in 2024,

00:50more than 50,000 asylum seekers, up 25% from 2023.

00:57The numbers have dropped overall, with most arrivals now coming to Europe through Greece,

01:02whereas Italy used to see more via Libya. For Greece,

01:06handling around 20,000 to 30,000 migrants a year until last year was manageable.

01:11Yet critics argue that the EU has failed to develop a lasting solution.

01:17Despite the severe crisis in 2015-2016, the EU failed to develop a comprehensive migration policy

01:25focusing on appeasing far-right anti-migration rhetoric,

01:28rather than leveraging the potential benefits of migration.

01:32In Italy, the government adopted a migration plan to send many asylum seekers to processing

01:37centres in Albania. While supporters called it an innovative solution, critics weren't convinced,

01:44and the program has faced court challenges.

01:49Italy's agreement with Albania aims to ease migration pressure, but violates the Geneva

01:54Convention, sending migrants to closed camps with limited rights, similar to prisons.

02:022024 was also a year that saw a number of EU countries reintroduce borrower checks at

02:08previously unguarded crossings. It's a trend that some say could jeopardise the future of the Union.

02:15This isn't surprising, but if the border measures go on too long,

02:19the EU's core principle of solidarity could be lost. With countries unwilling to take in

02:25migrants, a key pillar of the Union is at risk, leaving it as little more than an economic alliance.

02:31As 2024 comes to a close, migration remains a key challenge for Europe.

02:39Measures like stricter borders and deals with non-EU countries have eased some pressure,

02:44but raised questions about solidarity and shared responsibility. Observers will be looking to see

02:50whether Europe continues with piecemeal solutions in 2025, or attempts to build a unified,

02:57long-term migration strategy.

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