“This is the second consecutive year of a sharp increase in irregular entry cases,” Frontex said in a statement, adding that Syrians, Afghans and Tunisians together accounted for 47 percent of these cases in 2022.
Irregular entries into the European Union in 2022 rose 64 percent from a year ago and reached the highest level since 2016, according to figures published by the European Border Agency (Frontex) on Friday.
The agency said that 330,000 irregular entries were registered in 2022, of which 45 came from the Balkan route.
The number of Syrians doubled
The number of Syrian citizens covered by these cases has doubled, reaching 94,000.
“This is the second consecutive year of a sharp increase in irregular entry cases,” Frontex said in a statement, adding that Syrians, Afghans and Tunisians together accounted for 47 percent of these cases in 2022.
On the Western Balkan route, 145,600 crossings were recorded, an increase of 136 percent compared to the previous year.
The number of crossings in the central Mediterranean, the second most important illegal migration route, exceeded 100,000, with an increase of more than fifty percent.
Women make up 10 percent of these infiltrators, and minors about 9 percent.
