BRUSSELS — The number of migrants trying to reach Europe through the Mediterranean will remain high this year, with more expected to arrive through Spain, the head of European Union border agency Frontex warned Tuesday. “The number of return decisions made by member states has slightly decreased, and this will be a challenge,” he said. That said, Frontex organized more than 340 flights to take people back to their home countries last year, twice the number in 2016. Mediterranean crossings from Libya, the main jumping off point for Europe via Italy, have gone down. “I wouldn’t sign an operational plan saying that rescued migrants should be disembarked to Libya.”

Source: National Post February 20, 2018 12:57 UTC