The Central Mediterranean region was involved in half of the detections at the EU's external borders this year, according to the most recent data published by the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), according to EU Helpers.
However, it notes that since last month, crossings within this region have significantly decreased by 33%, with the Western Balkans emerging as the most active migratory route in September.
With national authorities reporting over 131,600 detections in the first three quarters, the most for this route during this period since 2016, these figures indicate that the Central Mediterranean will remain the primary route to the EU in 2023.
Frontex stated that, regrettably, sea crossings in this region continue to be quite risky. Over 2,384 people have gone missing in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to data from the International Organization for Migrants (IOM), with the majority of these occurrences taking place in the Central Mediterranean route.
In addition, according to external Frontex data, the Western Balkans route, which had over 81,800 detections between January and September, experienced a 23% decline, primarily as a result of tougher visa regulations.
According to the same source, the number of unauthorized crossings into Great Britain over the English Channel dropped by 12% in the first nine months to around 46,500.
Prior to this, Frontex said that a total of 176,100 persons made illegal attempts to cross the external frontiers of the EU in the first seven months of 2023. A 13% increase in the first seven months of this year compared to 2022 data is also noted in the authority's report.
Meanwhile, 102,000 people attempted to enter EU nations through the bloc's exterior borders in the first five months of this year. According to Frontex, this is a 13% increase over the numbers for the same time period the year prior.
Additionally, national authorities in the Central Mediterranean route reported approximately 50,300 detections between January and May 2023, accounting for roughly half of the illegal incursions into the bloc this year.