Europe More and more migrants are arriving by boat from Libya to Crete
According to the Greek coast guard, around 750 migrants have arrived on Crete since Friday, having started their crossing from the Libyan coast. This was reported by the public broadcaster ERTnews, citing the authorities. According to the information, 430 of these people were picked up by cargo ships south of the tourist island and handed over to the coast guard. The route from the region of the Libyan port city of Tobruk to Crete is increasingly becoming one of the most important escape routes across the Mediterranean.
06.07.2025, 12:05
06.07.2025, 13:54
SDA
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, a total of 16,848 migrants had arrived in Greece by boat by the end of June this year. On Crete alone, 7,135 arrivals were registered by the end of June. According to Vassilis Kikilias, the minister responsible for the coastguard, the number of migrants arriving on Crete has risen by around 350 percent compared to the same period last year. He said this to Greek radio.
EU Commissioner intervenes
Concerned about the developments on the route between Libya and Crete, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, plans to visit the Libyan government in Tripoli next week together with the migration ministers of Greece, Malta and Italy. During a recent visit to Athens, Brunner stated that the appointment in Libya was of great importance. The EU wants to show that it is taking united action in connection with this route, which smugglers use to bring people illegally to Europe.
Officers of the Greek coast guard assume that thousands of people are waiting in the Tobruk area for an opportunity to cross over to Europe, as the German Press Agency has learned from official sources. According to Cretan media reports, people pay smuggling gangs between 4,000 and 6,000 euros per head for the 300-kilometre journey from Tobruk to Crete.
