Migrant upsurge puts Frontex on standby

The influx of migrants into Greece, Spain and Italy has increased in recent weeks by between 30 and 70 percent, a representative of the European Union's border monitoring agency Frontex has told journalists from Kathimerini and other newspapers at a briefing in Madrid.

According to Frontex spokeswoman Ewa Moncure, a total of 2,240 undocumented migrants arrived in Greece last month, a 31 percent increase from April that is being attributed to the improved weather conditions.

The pressure has also grown on Spain and Italy. In May, a total of 22,900 undocumented migrants were intercepted in the central Mediterranean, a 77 percent increase compared to the previous month.

In the first five months of this year, some 6,000 migrants tried to enter Spain over the border with Morocco.

According to Moncure, Frontex staff are examining various scenarios to...