According to the European Commission (EC) report, immigration to Europe decreased by a third due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with a drop in migration in general, experts also recorded an increase in the number of illegal migrants.
Fresh EC data revealed that there had been a 33% decline in asylum applications for the first 10 months of 2020. At the same time, the number of illegal border crossings sharply decreased. The figure was the lowest in the last 6 years. Analysts attribute these changes to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the general decrease in migration, experts registered its surge in a number of countries where the immigration flows soared dramatically following a significant drop in April 2020.
Addressing the situation, the European Commission called on the leaders of European countries to coordinate their actions in order to handle the migration policy. According to Margaritis Schinas, Deputy Chairman of the European Commission, the organized actions of EU leaders helped the eurozone lessened the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, they should do the same when it comes to the illegal migration problem.
In the first 10 months of 2020, the EU received 390,000 applications for asylum (349,000 applications were submitted for the first time). The reading was 33% less than in the same period of 2019. Notably, 43% of applications were approved. At the same time, compared to the same period in 2019, there was a 10% decrease in the number of illegal border crossings in EU countries. According to experts, this is the lowest level in the last 6 years.
Analysts highlight a jump in the flow of illegal migrants through the Central Mediterranean to Italy and Malta on the back of a general reduction in migration. Last year, there were 34,100 illegal immigrants in Europe, while in 2019 their number did not exceed 11,500 people. The lion's share of the migrants came from countries that had experienced a severe economic downturn.
