Quelle: Frontex
General characteristics
Circular irregular migration across the land border between Greece and Albania was, for many years, one of the most significant irregular migratory flows across the EU’s external borders. In 2008 and 2009, detections between Albania and Greece represented nearly 40% of all detections of illegal border crossings at an EU level. In 2010, detections decreased slightly to 35 300, but still represented 34% of the EU total. The principal reason of this flow is mainly economic, with most migrants taking up seasonal jobs in agriculture and the construction business.
Upon detection, Albanian nationals crossing the border illegally were immediately returned to Albania, but quickly attempted re-entry to Greece. The fact that Albanian migrants could easily, cheaply and repeatedly attempt to illegally cross the border with Greece, and that Greek businesses which illegally employed Albanians were rarely prosecuted, combined to form strong pull factors.