EU decides to use force on migrant smugglers

Despite the agreement on military action, sides still split on how to carry it out

BRUSSELS— European foreign and defence ministers agreed to establish naval operations to disrupt human traffickers from setting off from North Africa.

It’s a potentially significant shift in how Europe deals with a swelling crisis that has strained the ability of countries to absorb tens of thousands of migrants and refugees, fuelled social and political tensions across Europe, and led to thousands of migrant deaths at sea.

A decision to militarize the crisis appeared to have the support of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said the alliance could offer assistance if called on.

But the use of European naval power to address the crisis is likely to require further approvals from European governments as well as coastal states in North Africa or from the U.N. Security Council.

It also involves delicate packaging and diplomacy, given the sensitivity in some countries, like Ireland and Sweden, toward military force.

The proposals have been presented as aimed at disabling the smuggling operations behind the migration surge, rather than at the desperate immigrants themselves, although the intention clearly is to stop the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants from the conflicts in the Middle East and Africa from making their way toward European shores.

The tougher stand comes amid a spike in migration to Europe, driven by economic hardship and a crescent of conflicts involving Islamic extremists from Nigeria and Mali to Somalia and Syria.

Most critically, overshadowing the crisis is the prospect of uncontrolled migration from Libya, where a civil war and the limited reach of the authorities have made it easier for smugglers to use the country as a launching pad for the dangerous journey to the EU.

There were about 17 times as many refugee deaths — more than 1,800 people — from January to April this year as there were during the same period last year. Overall, 436,000 people applied for asylum across Europe last year, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

Just in Italy, the country most affected by the crisis in the Mediterranean because of its proximity to Libya, some 33,000 have applied for asylum so far this year, on top of 170,000 arrivals last year.

The resulting deaths have shamed Europe and prompted its authorities to seek a united response, and there are also concerns the lucrative trade is helping finance terrorism in North Africa and offering terrorists a way into the EU. The loss of life has climbed in recent weeks as smugglers in North Africa offer the migrants passage in flimsy rubber dinghies and overcrowded fishing boats.

Last week, the European authorities presented plans to spread the burden of processing and accommodating asylum-seekers among the bloc’s 28 member states. That plan has met with resistance in countries like Britain and Hungary, and it still needs the approval of governments at a summit meeting in June.

But the meeting Monday focused on a different aspect of the European response: Military operations to disable the smugglers’ vessels before they leave North African shores and destroy smugglers’ operations.

Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, told reporters before the meeting on Monday that action was needed “to dismantle the criminal networks that are smuggling people in the Mediterranean.” If ministers approve those plans, the EU could “move forward with the planning and possibly launch the operation in the coming weeks,” she said.

How to stem the arrivals of migrants and accommodate those who make it to the EU is among the thorniest challenges for the bloc. Strong anti-immigration sentiment in some countries and a reluctance to use force in neighbouring states like Libya pose significant obstacles.

“We have insisted on having a legal ground for every step on the way, and also to be able to control each and every step,” Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish foreign minister, told reporters. A U.N. Security Council Resolution would be necessary “as the basis for our actions,” she said.