Irregular crossings into EU drop 20pc in 2025

The number of irregular migrant crossings into the European Union dropped by 20 percent in the first five months of the year, the EU's border agency said yesterday.

Warsaw-based Frontex said that a total of 63,700 crossings were detected this year, adding that the main nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi and Malian.

The biggest decreases in irregular crossings were seen in the Western Balkans (minus 56 percent), the western African route (minus 35 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (minus 30 percent).

There was also a seven percent decrease in migrant crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltics to 5,062 crossings, Frontex said. Irregular migration has become a political flashpoint across Europe.