Slovenia

Highlights

Compilation of available statistical data indicates that the arrivals to Europe through the Mediterranean in the first eight months of 2017 is lower when compared to the same period in 2016. As of 31 August 2017, national authorities in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Spain registered 131,167 newly arrived migrants mostly from the Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia which is in a sharp contrast to 297,255 recorded during the same period in 2016 (56% decrease).

Trends and key figures

This summer, the European Commission and the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Regional Office in Brussels signed a Direct Agreement for the implementation of the project REHEALTH 2 which aims to test the further use of the Personal Health Record - a tool designed to integrate migrants and refugees in EU health systems.

Trends and key figures

Far fewer refugees and migrants entered Europe via the Mediterranean routes than in the first half of 2016,1 largely due to a drastic decrease in numbers crossing the sea to Greece.2 The first six months of 2017 saw an increase in the number of refugees and migrants entering Europe via the Central Mediterranean route to Italy, with 83,752 arrivals.3 However, due to lower arrival levels in July, numbers have remained at a similar level to last year. Arrivals also increased via the Western Mediterranean route to Spain (by 93%) compared to the same period last year.

AUGUST 17, 2017
FEATURE
By Alice Greider

During the peak of the European migration and refugee crisis, hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and migrants arrived in the European Union via the Western Balkans. In 2015, 600,000 registered at the Presevo camp alone, on the border of Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Key components of crisis management fell to non-EU states along the Western Balkans route, primarily Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which paradoxically were not consulted on broader, European-wide responses.

Key figures (October 2015 – 26 July 2017)

25,392 Total persons relocated
17,457 Relocated from Greece (26% of 66,400)
7,935 Relocated from Italy (20% of 39,600)

Overview

Arrivals in the Mediterranean from 01 January until 30 June 2017 total 102,847 (Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus, including arrivals to the Canary Islands and by land to Spain). This compares to 231,075 for the same period in 2016. In the first half of the year, 9,286 persons arrived in Greece by sea (158,377 arrived during same period in 2016, a decrease by 94%).

Highlights

• During the first half of 2017, close to 93,000 refugees and migrants arrived on European shores mainly through the Central Mediterranean Route - around half of them arrived in just May and June 2017. While barely one in six of sea arrivals this year are children, the number of unaccompanied or separated children (UASC) coming to Italy is on the rise with 11,406 newly registered UASC between January and June 2017.

Developments

Highlights

According to available data, in the first half of 2017, there were more than 100,000 arrivals to Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain (101,559). This represents a 58% decrease when compared to the same period in 2016 when 239,925 arrivals were registered. This is mainly due to the sharpe decrease in arrivals to Greece.

Highlights

According to available data, there have been 72,377 new arrivals to Greece,
Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain between 1 January and 31 May 2017.

Until 31 May 2017, there were estimated 60,228 cumulative arrivals to Italy, compared to 47,851 arrivals recorded at the end of the same month in 2016 (26% increase). Contrary to that, Greece has seen a 95% lower number of arrivals by the end May 2017 when compared to the same period 2016 (8,025 and 158,461 respectively).

In spite of several measures to prevent irregular entries to Europe and irregular movement between European states, refugees and migrants continue to enter the region as well as travel on irregularly from one European country to others, albeit at a significantly reduced scale.

Abstract

Abstract

​The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 21 May - 27 May 2017 and includes updates on influenza, hepatitis A, cholera, Ebola virus disease and Legionnaires' disease.

Highlights

According to available data, there have been 46,015 new arrivals to Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain between 1 January and 30 April 2017.

Until 30 April 2017, there were estimated 37,248 cumulative arrivals to Italy, compared to 27,926 arrivals recorded at the end of the same month in 2016 (33% increase). Contrary to that, Greece has seen a 96% lower number of arrivals by the end April 2017 when compared to the same period 2016 (5,742 and 156,551 respectively).

Abstract

​The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 14 May - 20 May 2017 and includes updates on influenza, measles, hepatitis A, cholera, polio, Ebola virus disease and Legionnaires' disease.