According to data from the Frontex agency, almost half of the 330,000 arrivals were registered via the Western Balkan route.
European countries saw an increase in the number of irregular arrivals at the external borders of the European Union (EU) last year. In total, almost 330,000 illegal entries were registered, which is 64% more than in 2021, according to the Frontex agency. These data bring migration figures to the level of 2016, when the Mediterranean crisis broke out.
In 2022, almost half of irregular arrivals to the EU took place via the Western Balkans route. More specifically, some 145,600 people crossed the Balkan route irregularly, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Turkey. Arrivals via the Eastern Mediterranean also doubled, with 42,831 migrants, and the number of registered migrants via the central route, one of the deadliest en route to Europe, also increased. On the other hand, arrivals to Spain via the Mediterranean route fell -21% less than in 2021- and to the Canary Islands from Africa -31% less-.
The Frontex report states that, of the total number, only 10% of detected irregular crossings are women and another 9% are minors. In addition, the same document contains data on the reception of Ukrainian and Moldovan refugees by European states. It is estimated that some 13 million refugees from these two countries have entered the EU, of which 10 million have left European territory.
Source: La Verdad
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