Migration is down but the political pressure is not going away: despite a sharp decline in irregular arrivals and asylum requests, the EU is plowing ahead with an unprecedented clampdown.

Asylum requests to the European Union fell by 23% in the first six months of 2025, driven by a massive drop in Syrians seeking protection, new EU data showed Monday.

Similarly, irregular border crossings detected into the 27-nation bloc were down 20% in the same period, according to EU border agency Frontex, with arrivals via the Balkans sharply down.