The political right in the EU, including the extreme right, is gaining support due to demands to limit illegal migration. Some societies in countries with a high number of migrants are arguing for greater migration control, and even a policy of return, i.e., sending illegal migrants back to their places of origin. This is influenced by growing fears sparked by terrorist attacks in countries like Germany.
“Hundreds of thousands of culturally and religiously foreign people who were not previously checked were allowed into the European Union. They did not integrate, they do not want to work here, they want to live off benefits. This often gives rise to various social and cultural problems, the consequences of which fall on ordinary people. Society is turning to right-wing, conservative formations because they see that the liberal left and socialists often act against social interests,” Arkadiusz Mularczyk, MEP for Law and Justice, assessed in a conversation with Newseria agency.
In recent months, several terrorist attacks committed by immigrants have taken place in Germany. In February, an Afghan intentionally drove into a group of protesting trade unionists in Munich, killing two people. Earlier, in January, two people were killed and three were injured in a stabbing attack in Aschaffenburg carried out by an Afghan. In a pre-holiday attack on a market in Magdeburg, a man from Saudi Arabia killed six people and injured almost 300. In Austria, a Syrian asylum seeker attacked random pedestrians.
“The European Union has brewed a beer that it now has to drink. Successive terrorist attacks, whether it be cars driving into crowds during Christmas markets, or terrorists running around with guns, or organised crime, or school attacks – all this is a result of the absolute stupidity of the European Union, which has opened its borders to hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East,” the PiS MEP points out.
Immigration has become a key issue in several European elections. This is the case in Germany, where on Sunday, February 23, elections to the Bundestag will be held. In an October R+V Insurance Infocenter study, socio-political fears related to migration ranked second among voters’ biggest worries at 56%, after the rising cost of living. Respondents pointed to fears of escalating social tensions.
These sentiments have led to a rise in popularity for the far-right AfD in recent months, who can expect 20% of the vote in the upcoming election according to polls. In Austria, last year’s parliamentary elections were won by the anti-immigration Freedom Party of Austria, and in France, the National Union is a significant political force. This indicates a change in approach to migration issues in parts of European societies.
In 2024, the EU adopted new regulations to improve coordination between security agencies. Europol gained access to a greater volume of migrant data. A real-time migration movement monitoring system was also introduced.
“The European Union must react absolutely. First, the flow of migrants must be closed because the consequences are simply terrible, and security issues, border protection, and the fight against terrorism must be strengthened. The European Union has such tools, but there must be political will to implement them,” argues Arkadiusz Mularczyk.
According to Frontex data, the EU is still dealing with significant migration pressure, although its scale is decreasing. In 2024, there were 239,000 cases of illegal crossing of the EU’s external border – 38% fewer than the previous year. This is the lowest result since 2021. The decline in movement particularly occurred on the Western Balkan route and the Central Mediterranean route, but a dynamic increase (by 200%) was observed on the EU’s eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus.
Eurostat data shows that in 2023, 1.26 million non-communal citizens were illegally residing in the EU. 484,000 foreigners were ordered to leave the EU territory, and just over 111,000 people were sent back.
