Migratory flows in May: Decreasing trend, but pressure remains. In May, some 12.100 irregular border crossings were detected on the main migratory routes into the EU, 56% fewer than in the same month of last year.
In the first five months of 2018, the total number of irregular border crossings fell 46% compared to a year ago to about 43 200, mainly because of lower migratory pressure on the Central Mediterranean route.
*
Central Mediterranean
The number of migrants arriving in Italy via the Central Mediterranean route in May fell to about 4 100, down 82% from May 2017. The total number of migrants detected on this route in the first five months of 2018 fell to roughly 13 450, down 77% from a year ago. So far this year, Tunisians and Eritreans were the two most represented nationalities on this route, together accounting for more than 37% of all the detected migrants.
*
Eastern Mediterranean
In May, the number of irregular migrants taking the Eastern Mediterranean route stood at some 4 400, 40% fewer than in the previous month. But because of a rise of irregular crossings in March and April on the land borders with Turkey, the total number of migrants detected on the Eastern Mediterranean route until the end of May rose by 90% to more than 19 800
The largest number of migrants on this route in the first five months of the year were nationals of Syria and Iraq.
*
Western Mediterranean
Last month, the number of irregular migrants reaching Spain stood at around 3 400, more about thrice the figure from last month, as well as May 2017. In the first five months of 2018, there were some 8 200 irregular border crossings on the Western Mediterranean route, 59% more than a year ago.
Nationals of Guinea accounted for the highest number of arrivals in Spain this year, followed by those from Morocco, Mali and Ivory Coast.
*
Western Balkans
Despite the low number of detections at the external borders, Frontex has observed an emergence of new sub-routes via Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina, as well as from Serbia to Bosnia Herzegovina. This has been linked with increased migratory pressure in these countries in recent months and at the border between Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia.
