You're reading: Frontex: Most illegal migrants to European Union head to Italy

The European Union's border protection agency 'Frontex' says the main flow of illegal migrants seeking to enter the bloc has shifted dramatically from Greek borders to Italian islands due to conflicts in north Africa.

Frontex deputy director Gil Arias Fernandez said Tuesday that 22,600 illegal border crossings were detected in Italian borders, mainly on the island of Lampedusa, in the first three months of the year, out of a total of 33,000 in the EU. Greece saw 7,200 illegal entries in the same period.

In the same three months of 2010, just 147 illegal migrants were detected trying to enter Italy, compared to 13,085 attempting to get into Greece.