Illegal border crossings 2009-2022

Migration had dominated the European Council agenda from the outbreak of the migration crisis in 2015 until late 2018. However, it received less attention in the following years, owing to fewer migrants arriving than during the 2015 and 2016 peaks. In 2022, debate on refugees in the European Council was linked solely to the support for people fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine. To date, close to 8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe, 5 million of whom have been registered through the EU’s temporary protection or similar national protection schemes.
Considering an increase of 64 % in irregular border crossings in 2022 compared with the previous year, and the resulting pressure at the EU’s external borders, President Michel announced at the December 2022 European Council meeting that EU leaders would hold an in-depth debate on migration during a special European Council meeting on 9 10 February 2023.