Frontex reports spike in irregular attempts to enter EU

The EU's border and coast guard agency Frontex reported a spike in the number of irregular migrants trying to cross into the EU last month. Some 13,160 attempts were made in January, a 78-per cent increase compared to the same period last year, Frontex said. Over the course of 2021, the total number of illegal border-crossings was just short of 200,000, the highest number since 2017, it said.