Dubravka Suica wants to solve demographic problems by attracting more African immigrants to the EU. In the first ten months of this year, authorities registered 281,000 illegal entries at the European Union's external borders, preliminary estimates reveal. This represents an 77-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Dubravka Suica, the European Commission’s vice president has drawn attention to the ageing of European society. The commissioner said that in 2021, around one fifth of Europe’s population was over 65 and that the number of people aged 65 and over is increasing in all EU member states.

„According to forecasts, in 2070 Europe will only amount to some 4% of the world’s population, so we have to bring this back into balance. This is the reason why we are interested in global demography,”

the politician said. The EU Commissioner for Democracy and Demography said that immigration from areas such as Africa – where the average population is the youngest – would be a solution to the demographic crisis threatening Europe. This is why we need to attract more young immigrants to the European Union. The EC VP also added that she wants to do more for migrants living in rural areas of EU member states, arguing that these areas are a focal point of the Commission’s work. This is not the first time a member of the European Commission has made such remarks.

In 2017 former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Europe should allow millions of people to come from Africa.

French President Emmanuel Macron set out similar goals in September this year when he proposed to repopulate rural areas of France with migrants, as many of these areas are suffering demographic decline due to an ageing population.

„The conditions of their reception will be much more favourable than if they were settled in already densely-populated areas, with a concentration of massive economic and social problems.”

Mr Macron argued. In the United Kingdom, Minister of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick is planning to introduce a similar policy, saying PM Rishi Sunak’s government wants to settle asylum seekers in the rural parts of the country.

„We are now seeking to procure accommodation more broadly in smaller cities, towns, and indeed in some cases in rural areas,”

Minister Jenrick said. Ireland – either by accident, or by design – is already implementing the measure, settling thousands of asylum seekers to sparsely populated areas, as it no longer possible to accommodate migrants in larger cities.

Az In the first ten months of this year, an estimated 281,000 illegal entries were detected on the external borders of the European Union. This means a 77-percent increase compared to the same period of last year, at least based on the data of the European border guard agency Frontex.

Source: Frontex

The Western Balkan migration route remains the most active pathway leading towards the EU. Authorities detected over 22,300 illegal border crossings in October, almost three times as many as a year ago. Meanwhile, the number of illegal border crossings registered on the Central Mediterranean route increased by 59 percent to more than 85 thousand cases in the first ten months of this year, making the Mediterranean route the second most active migration route. In the first ten months of 2022, the number of illegal migrants trying to cross the English Channel was 62,000, up 70 per cent compared to the same period in 2021. According to Frontex, this trend is expected to intensify before winter conditions will make any sea crossing a more difficult endeavour.

source: Frontex