The human cost of undocumented migration, a European overview.

4. Detections of illegal border-crossing
along the EU’s external borders
2012
72 437
2013
107 365
2009: 104 599
2010: 104 060
2011: 141 051
Arab spring

5. 2013 was also characterized
by three phenomena:
1) A large increase in illegal
border-crossings by Syrians,
subsequently applying for
asylum
(Eastern Mediterranean route and Central Mediterranean)

6. 2013 was also characterized
by three phenomena:
2) A steady flow of migrants departing
from North Africa (Libya and Egypt)
putting their life at risk to cross the
Mediterranean Sea

7. 2013 was also characterized
by three phenomena:
3) A sharp increase in detections
reported by Hungary at its land
border with Serbia (mostly in January-June)

8. 52% of
total
detections
in 2013
(55 400)
Afghans
Eritreans
Syrians
25 500 (1/4 of tot.)
their detections
at the EU border
tripled between
2012 and 2013

12. Central Mediterranean route
40 304 (38%) detections of illegal
border-crossings in 2013
mostly from Lybia and Egypt

14. Eastern Mediterranean route
24 800 detections of illegal
border-crossings in 2013
lowest level reported
since 2009
Western Balkan route
about 6 391 in 2012 – 19 951 in 2013
Hungarian-Serbian land border

15. Eastern Mediterranean route
2011
57 025
2012
37 214
2013
24 799

16. Eastern Mediterranean route
2011
57 025
2012
37 214
2013
24 799
- strengthening of border surveillance on
the Greek side, including the completion of
a fence along the 12-kilometre land
connection with Turkey

17. Eastern Mediterranean route
2011
57 025
2012
37 214
2013
24 799
- deployment of additional staff to patrol
the area of the River Evros marking the
land border between Turkey and Greece

18. Eastern Mediterranean route
2011
57 025
2012
37 214
2013
24 799
- Greece took a series of measures inland
(i.e. changes in the asylum policy and
return measures)

21. Western Mediterranean/African route
7 100 detections of illegal
border-crossings in 2013
more effective prevention of
departures at sea by the
Moroccan authorities and
enhanced prevention
measures in the
Mediterranean Sea

22. Detections of illegal
border-crossing in 2013
with percentage change
on 2012 by route and
top nationality detected

25. Central
Mediterranean
route
In 2008, nearly 40 000 migrants were detected, mostly
near Lampedusa and Malta. Most migrants were
nationals from Tunisia, Nigeria, Somalia and Eritrea.
This traffic stopped almost completely however
in 2009 after the Italian government signed a
bilateral agreement with Libya

26. Central
Mediterranean
route
Civil unrest erupting in Tunisia and Libya in 2011 saw a
massive spike in the number of migrants along this route
(over 64 000 arrivals for the whole year). Sub Saharan
Africans arrived on Lampedusa and to a smaller
degree on Sicily and Malta. Many were forcibly
expelled by the Gaddafi regime. Most
of these migrants applied
for asylum in Italy.

27. Central Mediterranean route
With the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in
August of 2011 the migratory pressure had
dropped almost entirely, and detections in
2012 remained very low.
2012

28. Central Mediterranean route
Second striking peak in the arrivals of migrants
departing from Libya. The dramatic conditions of
the overcrowded boats used by the migrants were
particularly visible in October 2013 when 366
migrants lost their lives near Lampedusa when their
boat suddenly capsized.
Top three nationalities using this route: Syrians,
Eritreans and Somali nationals arriving to Italy
and Malta from Libya.
2012 2013

29. Illegal border crossings on the Central Mediterranean
route (including Apulia and Calabria) in numbers

31. 2013 345 000 detections of illegal stay
in the EU:
generally stable trend
2012
353 991 asylum
applications
Syrians most common nationality,
nearly double the already very
high number of 2012
2013

36. Recommendations:
•Steer away from excessively militarised
and security-centered approaches
•Highlight the importance of good
governance, and of good migration
governance more specifically

37. Recommendations:
•Recognize the importance and challenges
that South-South and intra-African migration
represent for countries in the southern
Mediterranean, rather than focusing solely
on the (much smaller) flows towards the EU

38. Recommendations:
•Encourage further research on the
migration-development nexus and explore the
positive impact of human mobility on
socioeconomic development
•Encourage EU Member States to facilitate and
speed up their procedures to grant asylum and
EU protected status, whilst better differentiating
between refugees and irregular migrants