Muscat – EU leaders agree to ‘capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers’

#EUCO agrees to disrupt trafficking networks, undertake to identify, capture and destroy vessels before being used by traffickers -JM

— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) April 23, 2015

#EUCO agrees to hold special summit between EU, African Union and key countries on #migration later this year in #Malta -JM #Mediterranean

— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) April 23, 2015

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The European Council has agreed to disrupt trafficking networks, and identify, capture and destroy vessels before being used by traffickers, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat revealed on Twitter.

The emergency EU summit was over after over four hours of discussions among the 28 leaders of the European Union.

Muscat also revealed that the European Council had agreed to hold a special summit between the EU, African Union and key countries on migration later this year in Malta.

Earlier

Malta’s prime minister is “sensing” an increased political resolve from member states to take concrete action as the EU leaders gather in Brussels for an emergency EU summit on migration.

European Council President Jean Claude Juncker is pushing for a trebling of the budget allocated to borders agency Frontex. Although it is understood that the European Council is set to back the 10 proposals put forward by the European Commission, these may be "tweaked" according to what the member states demand.

Funds allocated to Frontex's Operation Triton are set to increase from €3 million to €9 million, which according to an EU diplomat is “higher than the Mare Nostrum”. The support for Poseidon will be more about assets. A number of countries, including the UK, France and Norway, have offered a number of assets to Frontex.

It is yet unclear what the EU leaders will agree regarding proposals – pushed mainly by UK, Italy and Malta – for the destruction of boats used by smugglers.

Speaking to MaltaToday, the diplomat said the European Council had just started discussing the proposals and there appears to be some disagreement among member states on how to go about it. It transpires that some leaders are pushing for a UN mandate to be able to destroy boats used by smugglers, before the migrants get onboard.

Speaking to journalists upon his arrival at the European Council building, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the “real news” today would be if the European Union agrees to and gives its political backing to an operation targeting smugglers in Libya.

Proposed to Speaker to convene Parliament first thing tomorrow morning, the earliest occasion I have to brief on extraordinary #euco -JM

— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) April 23, 2015

“I am sensing a changed political climate where there is now the resolve to do something,” Muscat said, conceding that the “something” may not be enough. “I think that the real news would be if there will be the political backing to the proposal going after the criminals who are managing this racket.”

Asked whether it would be risky targeting the smugglers, Muscat said it would be riskier if nothing is done.

According to Muscat, more member states were now accepting the real situation as it was: a problem that required immediate and concrete actions. He described the 10-point action plan proposed by the European Commission as “a rehash” of things already heard but welcomed the “renewed commitment which was now more clear”.

Muscat said he was sensing the political resolve through meetings on the margins of the Council he was holding with other prime ministers.

“Public opinion has created an unprecedented pressure on governments which are now seeing the situation in a different light,” he said.

Malta will be pushing for an operation against traffickers, which would ideally be coordinated internationally. Asked whether the EU had let Malta down in the face of increased migratory flows, Muscat said that, in reality, the EU had “let human beings down”.

Meanwhile, Muscat tweeted that he has proposed for the Maltese parliament to convene tomorrow in order to brief MPs on the conclusions of European Council.