The EU recorded a record number of illegal entry attempts since 2016

In 2022, about 330,000 attempts to illegally cross the border were registered in the European Union, which is the highest figure since 2016.

This is written by DW, “European Truth” reports.

According to the EU border agency Frontex, in January 2023, the agency registered a total of 13,200 illegal border crossings, which is 12 percent less than in the same period of 2022.

According to border guards, the decrease in indicators can be explained by bad weather conditions, especially on sea routes.

43% of illegal crossing attempts in January were made via the route through the Western Balkans. At the same time, the number of attempts to enter through the western Mediterranean, from Morocco to Spain, decreased by almost half compared to the same period last year.

The western drop was even greater (minus 82 percent) – on the route that leads from Morocco to the Canary Islands.

These statistics do not include Ukrainians who entered the EU after the Russian invasion.