The European Union's Frontex agency said that the number of attempts by immigrants to enter the European Union states without a permit amounted last year to about 330,000 attempts.

According to Frontex, this number is the highest since 2016, saying that men account for more than 80% of entry attempts and that Syrians, Afghans and Tunisians accounted for approximately 47% of border crossing attempts.

Frontex said that 2022 saw the arrival of the largest number of people in five years from Libya - the main departure point in North Africa - adding that the number of people who came via Tunisia reached the highest level in modern history.