The record number of migrants arriving in Greece in 2015 and in the first quarter of 2016 had a direct knock-on effect on the Western Balkan route, as the people who entered the EU via Greece tried to make their way via the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Serbia into Hungary and Croatia and then towards western Europe. This led to unprecedented numbers of detections of illegal crossings at Hungary’s and Croatia’s borders with Serbia.
To assist the EU members most affected by the migratory flows on the Western Balkans route, as well as various cross-border criminal activity, the agency deploys specialised officers and border surveillance vehicles and other equipment in Hungary and Croatia. Deployed officers assist the national authorities in the detection of forged documents, stolen cars and illegal drugs.