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But it doesn't show any signs of stopping.

Since 2015, Europe has scrambled to cope with the arrival of around 1.5 million people by sea.

In an effort to stem this flow, many European countries have tightened their policies and borders. In 2016, the European Union forged a controversial "one in, one out" deal with Turkey to stop the tide of migrants and refugees fleeing to the continent from the Middle East. And, this year, Italy has adopted an aggressive approach to halting migration across the Mediterranean from North Africa, backing the Libyan coast guard's rescue efforts and cracking down on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating off the country's coast.

Here's what has been happening in the Mediterranean:

Why are NGOs suspending migrant search-and-rescue (SAR) operations in the Mediterranean?

What is the Libyan coast guard doing?

What assistance is Italy providing to the Libyan coast guard and why?

What restrictions has Italy imposed on NGOs?

In late July, Italy's Parliament passed a controversial "code of conduct" for NGOs operating search-and-rescue missions in the Mediterranean. Among the measures are:

Ban on entering Libyan waters except in situations of grave or imminent danger

Ban on phone calls to help migrant departures

Ban on transferring rescued migrants to other vessels

Commitment to allow armed police onto vessels to monitor activities

Three of the eight humanitarian groups operating in the Mediterranean agreed to the terms, while Doctors Without Borders refused to sign, saying it could increase deaths at sea. The mayor of Catania, Italy, told CNN that he believes the code of conduct is behind the recent drop in migrant arrivals there; critics say it is too early to tell.

What is happening to migrant arrivals in Italy?

How is that affecting migrant arrivals elsewhere?

Why has the Italian government shifted its strategy on refugees?

Italy's beefed-up approach to tackling the flow of migrants into the country followed local elections in June, which saw a wave of anti-immigrant mayors and local councilors ushered into office. Critics say the result has left the governing center-left party reeling, forcing Italian leaders to seek short-term solutions at the cost of migrants' lives.

"Our goal is to govern the migration flows," the Italian interior minister, Marco Minniti, said in an August news conference. "A big democracy, a big country, doesn't endure migration's flow, but tries to govern them."

What is happening to migrants intercepted by the Libyan coast guard?

What is the EU's strategy to address the refugee crisis, and how has it changed?

Since the height of the crisis in 2015, governments across Europe have sought to fortify their countries' borders. In February 2017, EU leaders outlined plans to stem the flow of migrants traveling across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, and boost the ability of the EU to send people back.

What about the anti-immigrant patrols in the Mediterranean?

An anti-immigrant vessel has underlined just how fraught the debate on refugees has become in Europe. The Defend Europe group deployed its C-Star vessel to the Mediterranean this summer, vowing to stop the "invasion" of refugees attempting to sail to Europe.

"It's created pressure, pressure for the NGOs as we were here, always watching them, documenting them and basically paralyzing them. We've seen it, I think during our operation time, the whole thing has turned against the NGOs. They've lost most public support; many have given up," Martin Sellner, one of the group's leaders told CNN. "We came and they went so definitely a success."

Though the C-Star has been allowed to continue operating in Libya's SAR zone, the Libyan Navy's Qassem told CNN that the coast guard would not work them directly.

"They combat immigration through a spiteful, racist standpoint," Qassem said. "We don't work with racism."

What is happening to the charities that are continuing their missions?

The Spanish aid group Proactiva Open Arms is among several NGOs that have continued to conduct rescue operations in the Mediterranean despite restrictions. Its crew recently reported that the Libyan coast guard fired warning shots while the vessel was in international waters.

"They were warned and told that they could be detained. We gave them a chance to leave and they did," Libyan navy spokesman Qassem told CNN. "They have to respect our sovereignty. They consider themselves above the law and Libyan sovereignty."

CNN's Lorenzo D'Agostino, Sarah El Sirgany, and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report. Graphics by CNN's Henrik Pettersson.

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Europe's migrant crisis isn't going away, but it is changing - CNN