Illegal entry into the EU on the rise

Frontex, the border protection agency of the European Union (EU), based in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, reported that illegal entries into EU countries increased by 12 percent in the first 5 months of the year compared to with the same period of the previous year. year, and amounted to 102 thousand.

According to the Frontex statement, the central Mediterranean route has accounted for nearly half of the irregular crossings into the EU so far this year.

Thus, in the first 5 months of this year, the most used route for entries was the Central Mediterranean. 50 thousand 318 people entered the EU countries by this route. This was recorded as an increase of 158 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Citizens of the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Egypt were the most illegally transiting the Central Mediterranean route.

The number of people entering from the Western Balkans, which is the second route, decreased by 25 percent to 30,717. This route was used mainly by Syrians and Afghans.

The number coming from the Eastern Mediterranean, in third place, fell 35 percent to 10,285. Syrians, Palestinians and Afghans used the Eastern Mediterranean route the most. (AA)