According to the most recent statistics published on 21 May by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, some 10,500 irregular border crossings were detected on the main migratory routes into the EU in April, down a third from the same month of last year. Frontex indicates that “In the first four months of 2018, the total number of irregular border crossings dropped 44% compared to a year ago to about 29,700, mainly because of lower migratory pressure on the Central Mediterranean route”. The Eastern Mediterranean route, particularly the land borders with Turkey, however, experienced a rise in the number of migrant arrivals.
In April, the number of irregular migrants taking the Eastern Mediterranean route stood at some 6,700, two-thirds more than in the previous month. In the first four months of this year, more than 14,900 migrants entered the EU through the Eastern Mediterranean route, 92% more than in the same period of last year.
Frontex points out that the number of migrants detected at the land borders between Turkey and Greece exceeded the detections on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The largest number of migrants on this route in the first four months of the year were nationals of Syria and Iraq.
On the Western Mediterranean route, the number of illegal migrants also increased and the number of people arriving in Spain was almost 11,000, 25% higher than in April last year. Those arriving mainly came from Morocco.
The number of migrants arriving in Italy via the Central Mediterranean route in April fell to about 2,800, down 78% from April 2017. The total number of migrants detected on this route in the first four months of 2018 fell to roughly 9,400, down three-quarters from a year ago. So far this year, Tunisians and Eritreans were the two most represented nationalities on this route. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)