"In 2025, the only route for illegal entrance into Europe that saw an increase in arrivals was the Central Mediterranean," noted Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi during a September 18 video connection at an international conference entitled Palermo, Crocevia del Mediterraneo ('Palermo, Crossroads of the Mediterranean') in the regional capital of the southern island of Sicily.

"Over 90 percent of the migrants that arrive on our coasts come from Libya, and especially Tripolitania," he added.

"The situation of irregular migrants disembarking [in Italy] is shaping up to be similar to that of the same period in 2024, with almost 50,000 arrivals."

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'Clear improvement compared with 2023 and 2022'

"In July and August, we saw a drop compared with the same months of 2024, which we see as a hoped-for positive sign of a change of direction -- though peaks of arrivals in recent days urge caution and are the symptom of a situation that is not yet entirely stabilized," he added.

"There is a clear improvement compared with the same period in 2023, when about 115,000 migrants arrived, as well as with 2022, when the number was about 62,000. One of the actions that was found to be the most effective," he added, "was a new regional strategic approach in North Africa, which saw its horizon extended to ten other countries in the area, including Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates."

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'Conflict-linked risks of terrorism and more migrants'

Piantedosi added: "The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are fostering polarization in our societies, increasing the risk that some people may be convinced by violent and extremist ideologies and commit terrorist acts. We are trying to prevent these dangers by bolstering checks at the borders and speaking to other countries' police forces. The large amount of geopolitical instability is also having repercussions concerning migration flows."

"The fight against migrant trafficking in Italy remains a priority; for this reason, we are keeping attention levels high at all international levels," he continued.

"At the global level, migrant trafficking generates 5 billion dollars a year, including one billion on the central Mediterranean route. We cannot accept that criminal rings enrich themselves by exploiting the desperation of people and by trying to condition migration policies. We will continue with a no-holds-barred fight, which we consider a moral duty."

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