The European Union has extended Operation Sophia, its anti-migrant-smuggling mission along the Libyan Mediterranean coast, by six months to the end of March 2020. Actual naval operations remain halted, however; the mandate now mainly consists of air support and training Libya’s controversial coast guard, Europe’s go-to partner to stem migration.
The European Union has agreed to extend its Operation Sophia anti-migrant-smuggling mission along the Libyan Mediterranean coast by six months. It will now run until the end of March 2020 — however, actual naval operations remain halted.
Dealing with issues concerning migration, especially relations with Libya and the renewal of an EU anti-smuggling operation in the Mediterranean: Those are some of the difficult tasks Italy's new Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini is facing.
Migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking saved 50 people on Sunday from a rubber dinghy off Libya's coast after Libyan authorities, responsible for search and rescue in that area of the Mediterranean, didn't answer multiple contact attempts. Meanwhile, the crew of German NGO ship Alan Kurdi has reported a new suicide attempt among its rescued migrants.
Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn has said that the EU should consider bringing back ships for Operation Sophia, both for rescue purposes and to fight against trafficking.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini announced during a meeting of the country's national public order and security committee that Italy will use navy and finance police ships "to defend" Italian ports and to control migrant departures.
While many lives have been saved, the EU is dropping a major part of its anti-smuggling operation Sophia, which helped save refugees stranded at sea.
Naval ships will no longer be part of the European Union's anti-smuggling Operation Sophia from next month, EU sources said. Italy had threatened to halt the mission unless rescued migrants were taken to other countries.
Following the case of the ship Mare Jonio run by the NGO Mediterranea, the European Commission has renewed its appeal to the EU to urgently find predictable solutions for migrant disembarkations.
Germany is suspending participation in Operation Sophia, the EU naval mission targeting human trafficking in the Mediterranean. The decision reportedly relates to Italy's reluctance to allow rescued people to disembark.
The European External Action Service has presented a new proposal on the table of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) to continue talks on operation Sophia, which reached an impasse on the issue of migrants rescued by the mission's vessels.
Italy wants other EU states to open their ports to ships from the bloc's Sophia naval mission in the Mediterranean. It's Rome's latest move to pile pressure on EU states to share the migrant burden.