The first phase of the plan involving surveillance and intelligence gathering will likely begin in the next few weeks.
Military missions against migrants crossing the Mediterranean were given the green light by the European Union Foreign Affairs Council Monday.
Representatives from the EU’s 28 countries agreed on a joint initiative against boats smuggling migrants, which carry tens of thousands of people attempting the perilous journey from North Africa to Europe every week.
Starting in June, the mission will involve the use of EU warships and surveillance aircraft. The EU’s foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, said the mission would “disrupt the business model of smugglers and traffickers networks in the Mediterranean.”
European leaders took action April 23, after a boat transporting more than 750 migrants capsized off the coast of Italy. During an emergency summit on migration, EU leaders agreed to triple funding toward border control, including Operation Triton, a surveillance and intelligence gathering mission funded by 16 European nations.
The plan will need U.N. backing for military action to take place against smugglers, but the first phase of the plan – surveillance and intelligence gathering – is likely to go ahead in the next few weeks.
In a document published last week, the European Commission announced a quota system to evenly distribute migrants who arrive in Europe to relieve pressure off Italy and Greece, which are currently the first ports of call. France, Britain, Spain, Hungary and others oppose these plans.
More than 1,750 migrants have lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, more than 30 times the number of casualties in the same period last year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Although the issue of migration is receiving greater global attention, many countries are reluctant to commit to support for migrants, even for those stranded at sea.
In related news, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, will provide assistance to the thousands of immigrants stranded off the coast of Thailand, Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, announced in his weekly address.