The European border agency, Frontex, reported a significant increase in the number of people crossing Europe's borders through 'irregular routes' in July, with more than 42,000 individuals

recorded. This represents a 19 percent rise compared to the previous year and marks the busiest month for border crossings since March 2016.

Frontex's data indicates that a total of 176,100 migrants have entered Europe in the current year. Of this number, nearly half arrived in Italy via the Mediterranean route, the only path that has witnessed a rise in the number of refugees (+115 percent).

Regrettably, this Mediterranean route is also the most perilous and lethal. The United Nations reports that over 2,060 individuals went missing in the Mediterranean between January and July alone.

In anticipation of heightened competition, Frontex anticipates that smuggling networks in Tunisia and Libya may decrease their prices in the forthcoming months. This development could potentially lead to a continued surge in migratory pressure within the Mediterranean region.

Conversely, Frontex observed a decrease in the number of people using alternative routes. Comparing the last seven months to the same period in 2022, crossings between Turkey and Greece decreased by 29 percent, and the Balkan route experienced a decline of 26 percent.

Crossings into the UK through the North Sea Canal remained relatively stable, with numbers similar to those of the previous year. In July, Frontex recorded 5,500 successful crossings, contributing to a total of 27,300 crossings for the year. Photo by Grzegorz W. Tężycki, Wikimedia commons.