The European migration crisis increased significantly in 2015, as increasing numbers of people arrived in the EU by traveling across the Mediterranean Sea or by land through south-eastern Europe. These people include not only asylum seekers, but also economic migrants and some hostile agents, such as Islamic State operatives, disguised as refugees or migrants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the top three nationalities of participants were Syrian (46.7%), Afghan (20.9%) and Iraqi (9.4%). In 2015, the number of people seeking asylum in the EU peaked at 1.26 million, more than double the previous year, while more than 2,257 people are believed to have lost their lives in the Mediterranean in the first few years alone. six months of 2017. In 2016, an estimated 5,022 people died in the Mediterranean and in 2015, 3,771.58% of the total migrants who arrived in Europe by sea in 2015 were adult males over the age of 18, of which 17% were adult women over the age of 18. age and 25% were under 18 years old. The number of deaths at sea rose to record levels in April 2015, when five boats carrying nearly 2,000 Europe-bound migrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea, with the overall death toll estimated at more than 1,200 people. This movement towards Europe continues to have devastating consequences. tribute to human life. According to the UNHCR, since the beginning of 2017, more than 2,700 people are believed to have died or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, and many more have died en route. These risks do not end once in Europe. Those traveling irregularly have reported numerous types of abuse, including being pushed back across borders. With so many human lives at risk, sea rescue operations undertaken by all actors must remain a priority. Despite some progress in increasing the number of safe routes in Europe, these opportunities are too few to offer a viable alternative to risky irregular travel for people in need of protection. Further efforts are needed to increase access to existing legal pathways, including family reunification. Against a backdrop of an increase in the number of arrivals by sea to Italy from Libya in 2014, several European Union governments refused to finance the Italian-run rescue option, Operation Mare Nostrum, which was replaced by Operation Frontex's Triton in November 2014, this replacement was unable to improve the situation in any way. In the first six months of 2015, Greece overtook Italy as the first EU country of arrival, becoming, in the summer of 2015, the starting point of a flow of refugees and migrants moving through the Balkan countries towards the Northern Europe, mainly Germany and Sweden. Since April 2015, the European Union has struggled to deal with the crisis, increasing funding for border patrol operations in the Mediterranean, devising plans to combat migrant smuggling, launching Operation Sophia and proposing a new quota system both to relocate asylum seekers between EU states for the processing of refugee claims to ease the burden on countries at the Union's external borders and to resettle asylum seekers who have been determined to be genuine refugees. Individual countries have at times reintroduced border controls within the Schengen area and rifts have emerged between countries willing to allow asylum seekers to enter for processing of their applications..