A young Afghan boy is distracted by his aunt while his mother receives emergency medical treatment after collapsing. © UNHCR / Giles Duley The impact of the crisis was felt across the continent, due to the significant onward movement from Greece to countries in Western and Northern Europe through the Western Balkans route. During the summer and early autumn thousands of people were crossing borders across numerous countries. To respond to this emergency, UNHCR mobilised staff and resources in 20 different locations across the route to provide life-saving assistance and protection, working with partners and governments. The refugee emergency in Europe tested asylum and reception systems in 2015, and illustrated the imperative of a comprehensive response, based on solidarity and responsibility sharing. Existing frameworks were in many instances unable to facilitate the management of the crisis or preserve the protection space in a sustainable manner. Numerous European countries responded to the crisis by unilaterally imposing greater restrictions on access to their territories. In particular, 2015 saw increased border controls and fences erected along borders between several countries in an effort to thwart the movement of refugees into their countries and across Europe. In addition, many countries passed legislation restricting access to asylum systems and placing limitations on family reunification. 34 UNHCR Global Trends 2015 Fig.14 Top 10 nationalities of Mediterranean Arrivals in 2015 based on arrivals since 1 Jan 2015 * Sea arrivals to Greece and Italy. Sea and Land arrivals to Spain 50% Syrian Arab Rep. Afghanistan 21% 9% Iraq Eritrea 4% Pakistan 3% Iran 2% Nigeria 2% Somalia 2% Morocco 1% Sudan 1% To p 4 Nat i o n a l i t i e s represent 8 4% o f a r r i va l s