(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, JAN 11 - There were almost 200 thousand irregular crossings of European borders in 2021, an increase beyond the pre-covid levels and to new highs since 2017, with the central Mediterranean route once again the most used towards the Europe: here there were a third of all irregular border crossings, equal to 65,362, with a growth of 83%. These are the data communicated by Frontex. Overall, 196,034 irregular entries into the EU in 2021, with a growth of 36% from 2019 and 57% from 2020, when the restrictions linked to Covid had a particular impact on global mobility.
One of the factors that defined 2021, reports Frontex, was undoubtedly the situation on the borders with Belarus. Throughout the year, Syrians remained the most frequently reported nationality of people detected crossing the border without permission, followed by Tunisians, Moroccans, Algerians and Afghans.
As in 2020, women continued to represent less than one in 10 arrivals, with a significant decline in their share compared to 2019. The percentage decreases, as well as that of unaccompanied minors, remained essentially unchanged.
The increase in entries into the central Mediterranean reflects in particular a greater number of arrivals from the Libyan, Tunisian and Turkish coasts, a route that has taken on an even more important role.
Tunisian migrants were more frequently detected in this region, and 2021 saw the return of a greater number of Egyptian migrants (a 7-fold increase over 2020).
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