The flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece dropped by more than half in November to 108,000, marking the first monthly decline of the year, the European Union's border-managing agency Frontex says.
It attributed the slowdown to harsh weather discouraging people from taking the dangerous boat ride from Turkey to Greek islands in the Aegean, but also to a more restrictive border policy adopted by countries along the Balkan migration route.
The reduction comes ahead of expected proposals from the European Commission, to be revealed on Thursday, to introduce new measures to curb the flow of people into the bloc.
The contentious plan is expected to include the EU border agents and a coast guard with powers to intervene in crisis situations without being asked to do so by member states.
Greece, in particular, has come under fire for failing to secure its coastline and register all arrivals, effectively allowing people to pass through the country unchecked.
Despite the ebb in arrivals, the number of people reaching European soil on Greek islands was 16 times more than during the corresponding period in 2014. Most of the migrants arrived from war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, Frontex said.
The number of illegal crossings at the EU's external borders at Western Balkan states fell by one-fifth from October to 164,000 in November. However, the rate for this year so far - 667,000 - is still more than 20 times that of the same period in 2014.
During 2015, the eastern Mediterranean/Balkan route became the main avenue into the EU for migrants looking for a better life there. In previous years, the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy was more commonly used.
Share
