EU sees ‘real chance’ to shut migrant route from LibyaBrussels, Belgium | AFP | The EU on Thursday pledged more money for Italy’s work with Libya to stem migrant flows to Europe, with Brussels seeing a “real chance” to close the central Mediterranean route. Italian Prime Minister Paulo Gentiloni has been working with his UN-backed Libyan counterpart Fayez al-Sarraj to sharply reduce the perilous migrant sea crossings to Italy, the main entry point to the European Union. “We have a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route,” Tusk told a press conference, after officials reported earlier this month that the numbers of migrant departures from Libya have dropped 20 percent so far this year. Member states are supposed to match that amount, but Juncker said the commission had increased its share to 2.5 billion euros, then to 2.9 billion and lately to 3.1 billion euros to make up part of the shortfall. The post EU sees ‘real chance’ to shut migrant route from Libya appeared first on The Independent Uganda:.

Source: Libya Today October 19, 2017 20:26 UTC