Unprecedented immigration shows signs of slowing ahead of winter
PR dla Zagranicy
Alicja Baczyńska
14.10.2015 11:54
Some 710,000 refugees and immigrants reached the European Union since the beginning of 2015, Warsaw-based Frontex reveals.
Refugees wait in cold temperatures for registration and the allocation of sleeping places at the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LaGeSo) in Berlin, Germany. Photo: EPA/KAY NIETFELD
As the EU’s external border agency shows in its latest report, the figure is a far cry from the 282,000 newcomers recorded throughout 2014.
Last month alone, the number of fledglings escaping North Africa and the Middle East and turning up at the bloc’s southern flanks reached 170,000.
Greek islands on the Aegean, particularly Lesbos, continue to see the largest inflow of migrants, totaling 350,000 people in the January-September period.
Frontex, however, also points to a waning influx of people arriving in Italy, dwindling by half in September to reach 12,000, due to declining access to boats in Libya and deteriorating weather conditions ahead of winter.
The most frequented route into Europe is the trail across Turkey and Greece. According to figures released by Hungary, the number of immigrants reaching the country’s borders has soared thirteen-fold since 2014, currently standing at 204,000. (aba/rk)
Source: IAR, Frontex