People smugglers are turning the European Union's south-eastern frontiers into a prime corridor for illegal migration, Franco Frattini, justice and home affairs EU commissioner, has warned in a statement for the Financial Times daily. Frattini said growing numbers of illegal immigrants were arriving via either the western Balkans or the Black Sea region from Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The EU official warned that undocumented entry through the east was a further worry. "The illegal migrants coming from the east are very often victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking and forced labour," he told the Financial Times. His comments highlight the challenge confronting Europe over migration, with a fractious debate on whether it can manage entry. About 500,000 undocumented migrants are thought to arrive each year. Frattini’s statements come amid repeated announcements by Moldova’s Border Guard Service about countered illegal border crossing attempts at the border with Romania.