Migration in the European Union: a dynamic overview and challenges

 

The European Union (EU) faced an exceptional migration wave in 2015, when more than one million arrivals were registered. The following year, 2016, this number dropped drastically to less than 400,000. The downward trend continued, with the number of migrants falling below 200,000 the following year and hovering below 100,000 until 2023.

Changing trends and current situation

In 2023, the number of migrants again exceeded 200,000, before starting to decline again in the current year, 2025. Nevertheless, more than 100,000 migrants crossed the EU borders in this unfinished year.

 Faced with the imminent outbreak of war in Ukraine caused by the Russian military incursion and increasing financial and economic pressures, the EU is also struggling with the ever-present pressure of migration. For many, the European Union remains a promised destination. This year, more than 12,000 people have entered the EU illegally, significantly fewer than in some previous years.

Long-term impacts and the workforce

Regardless of the different assessments of the impact of migration (whether as a challenge or an opportunity), the current situation has resulted in 6% of foreign nationals residing in the EU compared to the total registered population. In addition, there are 11.2 million foreign migrant workers working in the EU.

This data raises the question: does the high number of working-age migrants entering the labour market coincide with the increasing forecasts or actual data on the increase in the number of unemployed people? Reflecting on this impact is a key part of the migration policy debate.

 🇸🇮 Slovenia: easing the crisis and security challenges

The migration crisis is also easing in Slovenia. While in the first nine months of last year, the border police registered 37,220 illegal crossings, this number decreased to 19,470 illegal migrants in the same period this year. The most common origin of illegal migrants is citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.

At the same time, Slovenia is facing a paradoxical trend in the area of detected cases of illegal residence within the country. In the first nine months of this year, police officers detected 1,588 such cases, which is more than last year's 1,331. These data emphasize that in addition to border control, it is imperative that Slovenia and the EU, especially in the face of the threat of war, also focus on increased internal security within their own territory.