MADRID — Europe’s border watchdog says the number of migrants and asylum-seekers coming across the western Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year is likely to increase, after 2017 closed with more than twice the traffic of the previous year. The head of the EU Frontex border agency, Fabrice Leggeri, announced Friday in Madrid that his agency would increase efforts this summer to help Spanish border surveillance. Frontex said 22,880 migrants arrived in Spain last year by sea, up from 10,231 in 2016. “Spain deserves more solidarity from the European Union.”Leggeri also said a system in place in Italy and Greece to register those arriving will also be implemented in Spain. The International Organization for Migration says 2,583 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea this year through Wednesday, and 199 others died en route.

Source: National Post January 19, 2018 18:00 UTC