Irregular crossings into EU fall 40% in early 2026, border agency says

Irregular border crossings into the EU fell by almost 40% in the first five months of 2026 compared with a year earlier, according to preliminary data published on Friday by Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency.

The agency said around 39,000 crossings were recorded during the January-May period.

Frontex said the decline was linked to cooperation with partner countries and preventive measures in key departure states.

The figures came as the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force on Friday, introducing a standardized screening system at the bloc’s external borders.

Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens said the new rules would apply “the same standard” to all arrivals at EU borders, adding that the pact would unify “27 different ways of doing things.”

The agency said the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes remained the busiest, while the Western African route saw the steepest drop, down 71%.

It added that crossings via the Western Mediterranean rose 46%, driven mainly by departures from Algeria.

Frontex said nearly 1,300 people have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.