Irregular migration into the EU at three-year low, border agency says

Despite an overall drop in irregular migration, the number of people crossing the border in Belaurs and Russia jumped sharply.

Transcript

00:00Irregular entries into the European Union have reached their lowest level in three years.

00:11239,000 irregular border crossings into the EU were recorded in 2024, according to Frontex,

00:19the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. This represents a 38% drop compared to 2023.

00:26It went down a lot due to the EU's support for the Tunisian and Libyan authorities,

00:34which intercept boats attempting to cross to the European Union. There has also been a marked

00:44decrease on the Balkan route, the Western Balkan route, where I think the reason is different.

00:52It's probably the EU's effort to work with the Western Balkan countries

00:57to align their visa policy with the visa policy of the EU.

01:01Irregular border crossings in the Central Mediterranean and Western Balkans fell by

01:0759% and 78% respectively in one year. On the other hand, irregular arrivals to the Canary

01:15Islands have increased by 18% in a year, putting pressure on Spain. They have nearly tripled at

01:22the EU's eastern land borders, mainly due to Belarus' use of migrants as a tool to destabilize

01:29the EU. Irregular migration flows do not disappear as a result of these policies,

01:37but their direction and also the level of risk for human life might change. So increased

01:44surveillance or deterrence measures along certain routes might have an impact on the change.

01:54However, these figures should be taken with caution as some crossings go undetected.

02:00They also do not distinguish between economic migrants and asylum seekers.

02:06For instance, how many people actually of those who have attempted to enter,

02:12despite the many obstacles they have to escape from unsafety and war, how many of those numbers

02:19hide asylum seekers, people legitimately seeking asylum with a right to asylum in Europe?

02:25How many of the people behind those numbers have lost their lives in their ways to Europe?

02:31In 2024, more than 2,300 people were reported missing crossing the Mediterranean.