EU expected to approve military mission against migrant smugglers
The European Union (EU) is expected to approve the launch of the first phase of a military mission against migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea, sources say.
“Everything is now in place so that EU foreign ministers meeting Monday can approve the launch of the mission,” AFP quoted an unidentified EU diplomat as saying on Friday.
Meanwhile, other sources, whose names were not released, said EU member states will provide ships and aircraft for the first stage of the mission, which involves gathering intelligence about the migrant traffickers’ activities in international waters and airspace.
The second phase of the operation would consist of boarding smuggling vessels and arresting traffickers on the high seas, while the third could extend the actions into the Libyan waters. These stages of the mission, however, would require consent from Libyan authorities as well as a UN clearance.
In a separate development on Friday, another unnamed EU diplomat told AP that the 28-nation bloc hopes to begin the latter phases of the operation before September.
At an emergency summit back in April, EU leaders had agreed to formulate a comprehensive plan to confront a surge in the number of people making the dangerous crossing from Libya to Europe.
Approximately 100,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year, with some 2,000 having died or gone missing while attempting the risky sea journey to the continent.
The number of migrants who have died in the Mediterranean this year shows a 20-fold increase compared to the figures recorded in the same period last year.
SSM/HSN/HJL
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