Mediterranean crossing crisis fuels political debate across Europe

Since the 2006 wave that saw thousands reach the Canary Islands, European states have tightened maritime surveillance and signed agreements with African partners. Yet the pressure did not ease. The 2015 surge, driven by the Syrian civil war, the rise of ISIS, and conflict in Afghanistan, sent hundreds of thousands through Turkey, Greece and the Balkan route toward Germany, Sweden and Austria. The episode turned migration into the continent’s most contentious political issue.