European Migrant Crisis - Migrant Routes to Europe

 

As of August 2015, Frontex recognizes the following general routes on sea and on land used by illegal migrants and human traffickers to enter the EU:

• the Western African route
• the Western Mediterranean route
• the Central Mediterranean route
• the Apulia and Calabria route
• the circular route from Albania to Greece
• the Western Balkan route
• the Eastern Mediterranean route
• the Eastern Borders route

 

Thousands of migrants emerge from the hold of a ferry onto the streets of Greece's capital, Athens 

 

Hundreds gather in a transit zone below Keleti station in Budapest city centre,Hungary.An estimated 3,000 people – mostly wanting to get to Germany – were camped at Keleti station in Budapest as officials said that under EU migration rules they were not allowed to travel.

Europe's Migrant crisis escalated last night Sep 02,2015 as border controls were reintroduced and Germany admitted it could no longer cope with the influx.

Berlin had sought to criticise others – including Britain – for not taking in enough refugees after it announced it would no longer deport those coming from Syria.

But the EU’s passport-free travel zone was on the brink of collapse after Germany was forced to ask Italy to tighten border controls

As tensions between European leaders unable to agree on how to handle the crisis simmered, Slovakia’s foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak said the Schengen Agreement removing border checks between 26 European countries has fallen apart

According to figures from the UNHCR, Germany continues to be the most popular destination for migrants arriving in Europe. 

It has received the highest number of asylum applications, with more than 188,000 by the end of July 2015 - 15,416 more than in the whole of 2014

 

Where do the migrants come from?

The conflict in Syria continues to be the by far the biggest driver of the migration. But the ongoing violence in Afghanistan, abuses in Eritrea, as well as poverty in Kosovo are also leading people to look for new lives elsewhere.