The Central Mediterranean remains the main route for illegal migration into the EU, Frontex; the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, said in a press release Friday.
In the first five months of the year, the number of detections of illegal migrants into the EU reached 120,000, more than double (160%) compared to the same period in 2022. It is the highest number recorded since 2017.
So far this year, the Central Mediterranean remains the most active route into the EU, with more than 50,300 detections in January-May reported by national authorities. This route, according to the release, accounted for nearly half of the irregular entries to the EU in 2023.
Arrivals on the Central Mediterranean route drove the raise of 12% of all entries to the EU, as arrivals on all other migratory routes saw declines ranging from 6% on the Western Mediterranean up to 47% on the Western African route, it noted.
Source: Kuwait News Agency