Talk about migration through data, not opinions
A total of 117,904 migrants and refugees arrived in Europe through different land and sea routes between January and November 2019, 12 per cent less than the same period of 2018 when 133,655 sea and land arrivals were reported, 34 per cent less than the 178,232 arrivals registered in this period of 2017 and 68 per cent less than the 373,260 registered during this period in 2016.
This data, in all its effectiveness, could be enough to start thinking seriously about migration. It’s the beginning of the report MIXED MIGRATION FLOWS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN – COMPILATION OF AVAIBLE DATA AND INFORMATION published in recent days by ReliefWeb (the press agency linked to the United Nations) with regard to migration flows in the Mediterranean basin from January 2019 to November 2019.
One fact emerges clearly: compared to the emergency of the two-year period 2015-2016, linked to major international changes, as happened also in 2011, the flow is stable or – more often – decreasing.
This data should be an obligatory reading for all those who, for various reasons, express themselves on the issue: politicians, local administrators, journalists, NGOs.
On the single routes, on the other hand, the data are evident: arrivals from the Mediterranean, a route that however is becoming more and more deadly, increase from the so-called Westen Route (Spain) and the Eastern Route (along the Balkans, from Turkey to Europe).
The arrivals recorded through the Eastern Route were 73,939 (63% of the total) in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece between January and November 2019. A further 29,775 arrivals were recorded through the Western Route (25%) leading to Spain in the same period and 14,190 (12%) were recorded with arrival by sea in Italy and Malta. According to available data, the most frequently registered nationalities arriving by sea – between January and November 2019 – were Afghanistan (42%) followed by the Syrian Arab Republic (25%), Iraq (5%) and others (28%).
Here is another good figure for everyone: beyond all the polemics and political discussions, still today, in the majority, people are fleeing from devastating wars. Everything else is propaganda.
Link: REPORT
by Christian Elia
