INTRODUCTION In September 2014, the Greek office of Amnesty International, issued a press release regarding the continuous deaths in the Mediterranean. Highlighting the plight of refugees and migrants attempting to reach European shores, it noted that in the Aegean Sea alone, from August 2012 and until May of 2014 a total of 208 persons were estimated to have drowned or disappeared. In 2011, which was the deadliest year for the Mediterranean crossing, 1,500 migrants died: 1 in every 50 migrants who crossed. For 2014 however, IOM's records of loss of life at sea are already exceedingly high; 3,000 migrants have died attempting to make the voyage to Europe, seeking entry via Italy, Greece, Malta and Spain. From the early 1990s until the outbreak of the Arab Spring, the Southern Member States of the European Union-due to their geographical location and function as the external borders of the Union- have been on the receiving end of irregular arrivals. Resembling four interconnected vessels, Spain first, Italy second, Greece third and Malta last have seen their border controls tested with irregular arrivals from the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Sahel and as far away as Asia. The complexity of the arrivals cannot be underestimated. Irregular migration from the Mediterranean does not necessarily originate from the region or from the departure points. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Afghanis cross the borders from Iran and enter Greece via Turkey. Libya was one of the main destination countries for labour migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, who following the Arab Spring and the fall of the Gadhafi regime fled to safety towards the European Union, from economic migrants becoming asylum seekers. Mauritania and Senegal have been since the late 2000’s transit points for entry to the Canary Islands for sub-Saharan Africans. West Africa remains one of the most important areas of emigration; however the majority of those who reach the EU have spent a significant time in transit or even worked for a period of time in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Countries have acted at one time or another as destination areas and/or transit destinations. Those who also have external borders to the Mediterranean Sea are, by virtue of their geographical position, a logical destination to reach, since they act as the pathway to the other side of the Mediterranean1. Yet, migration challenges have reached an unprecedented level of complexity and scale in the last two years, raising once more the question of managing irregular migration at the external borders. The EU has consistently, since 1999, attempted to form policies and measures that in one way or another manage and effectively govern mobility towards and within the European Union. To this effort, the frontline states have played a critical role and adopted measures and policies throughout the years, attempting to curb arrivals and ensure return of the ‘undesirable’ population in the countries of origin. Greece is one of the frontline states experiencing for the past twenty years a continuous shift in its ‘migration landscape’, from a country of origin to a 1 Charef, M. (2004). Geographical situation as a facilitator of irregular migration in transit countries. Migrants in the transit countries: sharing responsibilities in management and protection , Istanbul, Council of Europe Conference: 4157. Page 4