Irregular Migration into EU Drops Sharply in 2024, EU Border Agency Says

Migrants wait after a boat carrying 23 people arrived at the port of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, on the island of El Hierro, Spain, 13 January 2025, where they have been attended to by emergency teams. (EPA)
Migrants wait after a boat carrying 23 people arrived at the port of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, on the island of El Hierro, Spain, 13 January 2025, where they have been attended to by emergency teams. (EPA)
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Irregular Migration into EU Drops Sharply in 2024, EU Border Agency Says

Migrants wait after a boat carrying 23 people arrived at the port of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, on the island of El Hierro, Spain, 13 January 2025, where they have been attended to by emergency teams. (EPA)
Migrants wait after a boat carrying 23 people arrived at the port of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, on the island of El Hierro, Spain, 13 January 2025, where they have been attended to by emergency teams. (EPA)

The number of migrants entering the European Union by irregular routes dropped overall by 38% in 2024, reaching the lowest level since 2021, the EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday.

However, the number of people crossing from the EU's borders with Belarus and Russia jumped 192% to 17,000, Frontex said.

Significant numbers of migrants or asylum-seekers also came from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and African countries even as routes into the bloc shifted.

Irregular migration has become a key issue in European politics with many far-right and populist parties campaigning in recent and upcoming elections, including in Germany next month, on promises of getting tough on migration.

Frontex said the drop to just over 239,000 irregular border crossings last year was thanks to intensified EU and partner cooperation against smuggling networks. It was the lowest level since 2021 when migration was still affected by the COVID pandemic.

The overall reduction in irregular migration was mainly driven by a 59% plunge in arrivals via the Central Mediterranean route due to fewer departures from Tunisia and Libya and a 78% fall on the Western Balkan route thanks to strong efforts by countries in the region to stem the flow, Frontex said.

But there were 14% more cases, reaching 69,400, of irregular border crossing attempts on the Eastern Mediterranean route driven by new corridors from eastern Libya, with migrants predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Egypt.

There was also an 18% rise in the number of migrants taking the Western African route to reach the Canary Islands with arrivals reaching almost 47,000 last year, fueled by departures from Mauritania.

"While 2024 saw a significant reduction in irregular border crossings, it also highlighted emerging risks and shifting dynamics," Frontex head Hans Leijtens said.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.