EU border agency sees fewer Syrians arriving in Greece

(WARSAW) - The percentage of Syrian refugees arriving in Greece has fallen considerably in recent months, the EU border agency Frontex said Friday, attributing the change to fewer false nationality claims.

Syrians made up 56 percent of all migrants registered in Greece in 2015, but the percentage fell to 51 percent in October, 43 percent in November and 39 percent in December, the Warsaw-based agency said in a statement.

"With an increased presence of Frontex and additional Greek officers, we're seeing improved screening of migrants, which means that the number of people who were able to claim false nationality has been reduced," Frontex head Fabrice Leggeri said.

"It is important to note, of course, that Frontex can only help to assess the nationalities of the arriving migrants... and our figures do not indicate who ends up applying for asylum."

In contrast, the share of Iraqi migrants went up from 11 percent in October and 12 percent in November to 25 percent in December, Frontex said.

More than one million people reached Europe's shores in 2015 -- the majority of them refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq -- in the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II.