European Border and Coast Guard

Greek police participated in the European Joint Action Day targeting organized property crime. Coordinated by Frontex and Europol, the operation took place from October 7-18, engaging 20 EU countries and seven non-EU partners.

Greece conducted intensive vehicle and identity checks at border crossings and other areas, including Thessaloniki and Athens.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) announced today a 42% decrease in illegal border crossings into the European Union since January, compared to the same timeframe last year, as reported by BTA.

Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic has stated that the majority of illegal migrants entering Serbia and North Macedonia come through EU countries. Dacic and North Macedonia's Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski met in Kumanovo to discuss the issue, as reported by Macedonian media and cited by BTA.

Three people were rescued while one was missing after the tourist boat sank in the eastern Aegean on Tuesday afternoon.

The four passengers were Turkish nationals, according to state-run broadcaster ERT. They all ended up in the water when the vessel capsized in unclear circumstances. 

The Minister of Immigration and Asylum spoke about the increasing trend of migration flows, cooperation with Turkey on migration and the return of migrants on SKAI television.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, reports an increase in illegal migration flows from Turkey to the Greek islands during the first eight months of 2024, with 37,163 people crossing the borders illegally.

Internal documents have disclosed that officers from the European border and coast guard agency Frontex have been pressured to remain silent about the mistreatment of refugees and migrants at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. This revelation comes from journalist Maria Cheresheva, who shared findings from her investigation with BNR.

Migratory pressure along the Bulgarian-Turkish border has dropped by 70% compared to the previous year, according to Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Main Directorate "Border Police." This announcement followed a meeting with Hans Leitens, the Executive Director of Frontex, who is visiting Bulgaria for the second time in recent months.

Poland hopes to bring in border guards and police from Finland, Germany and Greece to help patrol its frontier with Belarus, a senior official said on Thursday, amid mounting concerns over migration pressures from the east into Europe.

The European Court of Justice has fined Hungary 200 million euros for severe violations of European asylum law. If Hungary delays payment, it will incur an additional penalty of 1 million euros per day, deducted automatically from its share of the European budget.