Illegal entry into the EU in January decreased – WORLD

In January, the number of illegal entries into the EU decreasedThe European Union (EU) border protection agency Frontex, headquartered in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, reported that the number of illegal entries into EU countries fell by 12 percent in January compared to the same month last year, to 13,200 people.The Frontex statement recalled that the number of illegal entries across borders increased to 330,000 in 2022, reaching the highest level since 2016. Last month, the most frequently used entry route was the Western Balkans. 5,751 people entered the EU countries via this route. Applications from the Western Balkans are down 5 percent compared to January 2022. Syrians traveled the most illegally through the Western Balkan route. The number of people entering from the Central Mediterranean, the second route, increased by 49 percent to 4,526 people. Citizens of the Ivory Coast, Guineans and Pakistanis used the route the most, with the number of people from the Eastern Mediterranean in third place falling by 5 percent to 1,582. Syrians, Afghans and Nigerians most often used the Eastern Mediterranean route. It was reported that the number of illegal entries into EU countries in January decreased by 12 percent compared to the same month last year, to 13,200 people.