BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union will on Wednesday unveil its plan to confront the challenge posed by a massive influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Eritrea and elsewhere.
EU border guards are struggling to deal with a boat-borne exodus that has seen more than 10,000 people plucked from the Mediterranean off Libya in the last month. No one knows exactly how many have drowned, but around 1,700 are feared dead.
The agenda sets the migration priorities of the EU’s executive Commission. It lays out a calendar for new action and proposals for mobilizing funds, resources and EU border, police and asylum agencies.
Key parts of the agenda require agreement from member nations and are unlikely to be endorsed. These include setting up a real European border guard system and imposing country-by-country quotas for taking in migrants. An anti-smuggler operation and creation of a new Frontex returns department must also be rubber stamped but are less controversial. The Commission can move independently on most other items.
Here are the plan’s main points, according to a draft of the text obtained by The Associated Press: