Migration | English Channel new main migration route in Europe according to Frontex

Contrary to the general trend of declining migration numbers into the European Union, the English Channel is experiencing an increase in crossings. This is confirmed by figures published last week by the EU border agency Frontex. More than 18,000 people attempted to cross the strait in the first four months of this year, which is only 30 kilometers wide at one point but dangerous due to frequent shipping movements – an increase of five percent compared to the same period last year.

At the same time, the number of border crossings on all other migration routes into the EU has declined significantly. This makes the English Channel the most frequently used migration route. This route to the UK is primarily chosen by people from Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Syria.

The Calais Border Monitoring group points out that the large number of departures to Great Britain occurred during the winter months—the highest numbers ever recorded. British authorities also recorded a significantly higher increase than Frontex: According to their data, 45 percent more people entered the United Kingdom on dinghies between January and April 2025 than in the previous year.

In total, Frontex observed around 47,000 irregular border crossings at the Union's external borders between January and April 2025—a 27 percent decrease compared to the previous year. However, on the Central Mediterranean route, long considered the main route, the decline was slight at three percent. The West African route to the Canary Islands, which is also extremely dangerous due to its long distance and weather conditions on the Atlantic, saw 34 percent less traffic.

The Balkan route, which has repeatedly been at the center of European migration debates in previous years, recorded the largest decline of all routes, with a drop of 58 percent. Similar significant declines were seen in Poland and the Czech Republic on the eastern EU land border (minus 37 percent) and on the eastern Mediterranean route in Greece (minus 30 percent).

Magnus Brunner, the EU Commissioner responsible for migration, sees these developments as evidence of the success of the common European policy. "This shows that our measures are working, especially the increased engagement with partner countries outside the EU," says the Austrian.

Meanwhile, the latest figures pose a problem for the new German federal government. The reason is that it attributes the currently increased controls at the German borders, among other things, to insufficient progress in EU migration policy. Furthermore, Frontex statistics show that not all refugees arriving in the EU intend to stay there permanently.

According to the UN migration agency IOM, at least 555 people lost their lives in the first four months of this year while attempting to reach Europe by boat. For the whole of 2024, this figure was 2,300. However, the actual number is likely significantly higher, as many boat departures and drownings go unregistered. Agencies