In the fourth quarter of 2016, the number of detections of illegal border-crossing between BCPs at the EU’s external borders dropped to the lowest level since the closure of the Western Balkan route and implementation of the EU-Turkey statement, which curtailed the unhindered migratory flow towards the EU and Schengen area. Compared with the record levels of irregular migration reported one year before, the number of detections at the EU’s external borders in Q4 2016 decreased by 93%.