Landing and the European Union

In 2016, Italy achieved a new record in terms of migrant landings: over 181 thousand arrivals through the Mediterranean Sea were recorded the past year, which accounts for 18% more than in 2015 (154,000 migrants landed on Italian shores) and more than in 2014, too, when 170 thousand migrants arrived on the Italian coasts. In the first 22 days of January 2017 – with an average of 109 daily arrivals – a total of 2,391 migrants landed on the Italian shores, while in Greece 949 arrivals were registered over the same time period. The 2016 data show Italy’s record in terms of number of landings in the Mediterranean: more than 361 thousand migrants arrived through sea in Europe; half has landed on the Italian coasts, 48% landed in Greece (174 thousand arrivals), while were 8,826 migrants landed in Spain. Unfortunately, in 2016, the number of dead or missing migrants in the Mediterranean significantly increased: they were over 5,000, a third more than the previous year.

The year that just ended also marked another record in Italy: the number of asylum applicants and international protection that reached the highest figure ever recorded in two decades: more than 123 thousand. This meant over 10 thousand requests per month received by the Territorial Commissions.