Push-backs at the EU’s external borders have increased by 1%: 139,000 non-EU nationals were refused entry into the EU in 2021 compared with 137,800 in 2020. The highest numbers of refusals of entry were reported in Hungary (34,700), Poland (26,200), Croatia (14,200), and Romania (11,000). Ukrainians accounted for the largest number of refusals (50,200), followed by Albanians (18,600), and Moldovans (9,100). This is according to the figures released by the EU’s statistical office Eurostat today.
In the case of Cyprus, in 2021, the authorities refused entry to 440 third-country nationals compared with 360 in 2020. Furthermore, 11,175 people were found to be in Cyprus illegally (compared with 6,215 in 2020).
