
Frontex: Western Balkan Route Most Active Since Peak of 2015 Migrant Crisis
Hungary, due to its location on the Schengen Area’s southeastern flank, has had to bear the brunt of the increased migratory pressure.

Hungary, due to its location on the Schengen Area’s southeastern flank, has had to bear the brunt of the increased migratory pressure.

The unsettling numbers revealed in the border agency’s report come a week after Central European leaders met in Budapest to discuss plans to reduce illegal migratory flows.

Frontex, the EU’s border agency, recorded 57,800 illegal entries to the bloc between January and April of this year, representing an increase of 69% compared to the same period last year.

More than two-thirds of Swiss voters—72%—voted in favour of increasing their contribution to the agency. Their refusal would have had serious repercussions on the overall functioning of the institution.

Behind Leggeri’s departure lies the question of Europe’s choices in terms of migration policy: should it favour firmness and control, or on the contrary, put forward the defence of migrants’ rights?

Frontex says its new system will “centralize and store information on external borders crossings, including the non-EU traveller’s name, travel document, biometric data . . . and the date, time and place of entry or exit, in full respect of fundamental rights and data protection.”

The month of January saw the number of illegal border crossings into the European Union jump by nearly 80% compared to those witnessed last year, Frontex, the bloc’s border agency has revealed.