Less 43 percent of irregular border crossings since the beginning of the year, Frontex notes

Brussels – In the first 10 months of the year, the number of irregular border crossings detected by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, continued to decline. 

There was a further improvement compared to the -42 percent in September’s preliminary data. Irregular border crossings totaled about 191,900, about 30,000 more than the previous month.

In the Central Mediterranean route, there is a decrease of 62 percent (compared with -64 percent detected for the first nine months), contributing significantly to the overall reduction. In contrast, the eastern Mediterranean region is growing, with a slightly smaller increase for the first ten months compared to the data recorded in September.

The Western Balkans saw a satisfactory result with a reduction of 80 percent, continuing the downward trend. The situation on the  West African Route saw a marked improvement, with a 14 percent increase, much less than the 100 percent rise seen for January-September. 

There was again an increase in the eastern land borders, with a 195 percent jump and 15,237 crossings. Overall, up from +192 percent in the first nine months of the year for the route, directly exposed to the effects of the war in Ukraine. 

The Channel Route recorded 57,162 crossings, a 5 percent increase, marking the first increase after being on a downward trend since July.