The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) returned more irregular migrants in 2023 than ever before. 39,239 people were expelled that year, an unprecedented number that has been increasing at least since 2015.
Germany, Cyprus and France concentrated 60% of all the returns in which the agency participated. Spain, with 506 returns in collaboration with the agency, remains among the least active. The agency directs 19 operations inside and outside the borders of the EU to try to supervise the 500 million crossings that the EU registers annually, with more than 2,000 agents deployed. It has a budget of 40 million euros for the period 2023-2027 allocated exclusively to the purchase of aircraft chartered aircraft that allow forced returns to be carried out, according to its 2023 Acquisition Plan. The report maintains that for the increase to be “sustainable”, the involvement of Member States “should be accompanied by a stable growth of the financial resources at the agency's disposal over the years”