EU begins operation against smugglers

European Union foreign ministers agreed yesterday to launch a naval operation against gangs smuggling migrants to Europe from Libya, although the mission will be limited to intelligence-gathering for now due to lack of UN authority.

The operation is part of a stepped-up European response to a surge of migrants from Africa and the Middle East making the dangerous crossing from Libya to Europe.

Many have drowned in the Mediterranean, including around 800 killed in a shipwreck in April.

“The operation is being launched today. Let me be very clear: The targets are not the migrants, the targets are those that are making money on their lives and too often on their deaths. It is part of our effort to save lives,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters in Luxembourg where the foreign ministers were meeting.

UN consent

The operation, as initially envisaged by EU officials, was intended to disrupt the migrant traffickers’ business and to capture and destroy their ships, possibly even in Libyan waters.

But the EU would require a UN Security Council resolution and consent from the Libyan authorities to operate in Libyan territorial waters and coastal areas.

Lacking both pre-conditions, the EU will limit its operations for now to sending ships and aircraft to patrol in international waters of the Mediterranean to gather information on the smugglers’ activities.

The mission will start “in the coming days”, Mogherini said. EU officials still hope for Libyan consent and a UN resolution later that would allow them to tackle the traffickers. The EU would only be able to move to more aggressive actions if EU foreign ministers gave the go-ahead.