Italy has recorded around 49,800 sea arrivals by migrants up to late September, marking a slight increase compared with the same period last year, according to the North Africa Migration Quarterly Update for the third quarter of 2025.
Despite the overall rise, departures from Libya fell by 8%. Yet Libya remains the main point of departure, accounting for 88% of total arrivals in Italy, the report said.
Meanwhile, migrant arrivals to the Greek island of Crete from Libya surged dramatically to more than 13,000 — a record increase of 318%. The sharp rise has prompted Greece to suspend asylum procedures for arrivals from North Africa and to strengthen cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard.
At a regional level, Italy and Turkey signed a new agreement aimed at curbing migration flows from Libya. The deal includes joint operations, intelligence sharing, and training initiatives to combat smuggling networks operating along the North African coast.
In eastern Libya, authorities have intensified deportation and detention campaigns. More than 1,800 migrants — mainly Egyptians and Sudanese — were deported during the summer, while over 1,500 others were detained in workplace raids and inspection campaigns.
The growing coordination among Mediterranean countries highlights a shift towards stricter migration management, as Europe faces mounting pressure from rising arrivals via alternative routes across the sea.
