Europe's border watchdog says the number of migrants and asylum-seekers coming across the western Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year is likely to increase, after 2017 closed with more than twice the traffic of the previous year.
In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo women and children from Eritrea sing and pray to celebrate their arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms wait to disembark the lifeless bodies of an Eritrean man and 2 babies from the organization's rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Friday Jan. 19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue ship look out to the sea as the vessel heads to the Italian port of Pozzallo, in Sicily. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
The head of the EU Frontex border agency, Fabrice Leggeri, announced Friday in Madrid that his agency would increase efforts this summer to help Spanish border surveillance. No extra funds have been allocated yet, but Frontex says it will consider diverting funds from operations in Greece or Italy if needed.
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Europe's border watchdog says the number of migrants and asylum-seekers coming across the western Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year is likely to increase, after 2017 closed with more than twice the traffic of the previous year.
In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms wait to disembark the lifeless bodies of an Eritrean man and 2 babies from the organization's rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Friday Jan. 19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue ship look out to the sea as the vessel heads to the Italian port of Pozzallo, in Sicily. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
The head of the EU Frontex border agency, Fabrice Leggeri, announced Friday in Madrid that his agency would increase efforts this summer to help Spanish border surveillance. No extra funds have been allocated yet, but Frontex says it will consider diverting funds from operations in Greece or Italy if needed.
FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2017 file photo, migrants sit on the ground next to Spanish police officers after storming a fence to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Spain. (AP Photo/Jesus Moron, File)
"The bad news is in the western Mediterranean," Leggeri told reporters, noting that the number of migrants crossing the central and eastern Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe was higher but was declining. "Spain deserves more solidarity from the European Union."
In this Thursday Jan. 18, 2018 photo Guillermo Cañardo, a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, assists an Eritrean child as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 500 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
Leggeri also said a system in place in Italy and Greece to register those arriving will also be implemented in Spain. The system makes it easier to identify migrants so they can be repatriated if they are denied residency in Europe. It also allows European law-enforcement authorities to compare criminal records with other countries' police agencies.
In this Friday Jan. 19, 2018 photo a child from Eritrea sings to celebrate his arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
Leggeri said last year efforts to help Spain cost about 7 million euros ($8.6 million). Frontex said 22,880 migrants arrived in Spain last year by sea, up from 10,231 in 2016.
In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms help refugees and migrants to disembark from the rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2017 file photo, migrants sit on the ground next to Spanish police officers after storming a fence to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Spain. (AP Photo/Jesus Moron, File)
"The bad news is in the western Mediterranean," Leggeri told reporters, noting that the number of migrants crossing the central and eastern Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe was higher but was declining. "Spain deserves more solidarity from the European Union."
In this Friday Jan. 19, 2018 photo children from Eritrea rest on board the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue ship as the vessel heads to the Italian port of Pozzallo, in Sicily. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Thursday Jan. 18, 2018 photo Guillermo Cañardo, a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, assists an Eritrean child as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 500 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
Leggeri also said a system in place in Italy and Greece to register those arriving will also be implemented in Spain. The system makes it easier to identify migrants so they can be repatriated if they are denied residency in Europe. It also allows European law-enforcement authorities to compare criminal records with other countries' police agencies.
In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants look to the Italian authorities from aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
In this Friday Jan. 19, 2018 photo a child from Eritrea sings to celebrate his arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)
The International Organization for Migration says 2,583 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea this year through Wednesday, and 199 others died en route.
