Libyan govt calls for increased funding to tackle flow of migrants

European leaders agreed Friday on an action plan to stem the migration flow into Europe along the central Mediterranean route during an informal summit in Malta.

Doctors Without Borders general director Arjan Hehenkamp says in a statement that “the European Union and its member states need a reality check”. “Europe should and will stand by Italy in sharing responsibility”.

“Tusk added: “(It is) the only way to gain control over migration in Europe.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern criticized Trump’s travel ban and suspension of refugee admissions, arguing that United States foreign policy had contributed to high immigration.

It said some smugglers tortured migrants to secure the release of more money from their families, or forced them to work in order to continue their journey.

“It is unacceptable for the global community if America wants to avoid all responsibility”.

Council President Donald Tusk tempered his description of the trans-Atlantic Donald as a threat to Europe, opting instead to use the word “challenge” during the press briefing.

The US president had previously questioned the alliance’s effectiveness.

“Who knows that the American president really wants with regard to the transatlantic alliance and burden sharing?”

EU leaders today have backed a package of measures proposed by High Representative Federica Mogherini and the European Commission, to better manage migration flows and save lives on the Central Mediterranean route. This winter has officially become the most deadly on record, even though the total number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea is down from previous years.

This comes after a report which claimed that elements of the Libyan coastguards were involved in smuggling rings and that returning migrants caught on boats to coastal detention centres were a huge risk, due to the security vacuum in Libya.

Observers say that the biggest problem remains Libya’s instability and lack of proper governance.

“Now it is time to close down the route from Libya to Italy”, Tusk said after talks in Brussels with Libyan Premier Fayez Al Serraj and earlier with Italy’s Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

There is no talk of a deal similar to the agreement with Turkey a year ago, which the Turkish stepped up efforts to stop migrants from crossing the sea to Greece and pledged to take back migrants in return for resettling refugees in Europe.

Global aid agency Oxfam criticised the bloc’s push on Libya on Thursday, saying it amounted to “further abandoning the rights of migrants, including refugees”.