The EU border agency Frontex reported that newly implemented control measures are working, and what was previously the main route for illegal entry into the EU has now been almost completely closed.
According to statistics, over 6,500 asylum seekers-mainly from Turkey, Syria, and Afghanistan-arrived via the Balkan route this year.
However, smugglers are far from giving up and are finding new paths. For example, a new route between eastern Libya and Crete has already seen more than 10,000 migrants arrive this year-four times more than last year.
Overall, more than 36,000 migrants have reached the EU via the Mediterranean, mostly from Bangladesh, Eritrea, and Egypt. This route is being used more frequently despite its dangers-this year, the UN has already recorded 1,229 dead or missing.
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