Migration issue casts shadow over EU summit
The migration issue is said to have cast a shadow over the European Union (EU) Summit, taking place on October 24-25 in Brussels, Belgium, as nearly 400 people recently drowned while trying to illegally enter the Italian coast.
Ahead of the conference, France warned that the Mediterranean had become an "open-air graveyard" for migrants after hundreds of Africans died trying to cross to Europe in dilapidated boats.
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| (Source: Reuters). |
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said migration was becoming a "tragedy," adding that France had prepared a number of specific proposals on the issue to be submitted to the conference for consideration.
According to Mr. Fabius, Africans "leave their country" because of poverty.
To tackle the problem, the first task is to promote development, then protection policies. He called for strengthening the European border control agency Frontex, which currently has a meager budget of 50-60 million euros ($70-80 million) a year. He also called for increased border surveillance and proposed the creation of a task force to combat human trafficking.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for increased efforts to limit the influx of migrants, affirming that he would urge other EU countries to redouble their efforts to prevent the risk of a repeat of the migrant disaster at sea. Mr. Rajoy emphasized that border control is a common task for the entire EU, each member state and the institutions within this organization.
Earlier, on October 22, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta called on EU leaders to adopt an action plan to deal with the immigration issue. According to Mr. Letta, the EU cannot stand idly by and needs to act immediately.
He also called for dialogue between Mediterranean countries because the region is a departure or transit point for illegal migrants seeking "promised lands" in Europe.
According to the plan, this EU Summit will focus on discussing measures to promote the high-tech and digital economy to help restore growth and create jobs. The conference will also discuss new regulations in the telecommunications industry./.
According to (TTXVN) - DT
