EU leaders commit ships, aid for action on Med migrants

European Union leaders today started committing new resources to save lives in the Mediterranean at an emergency summit convened after hundreds of migrants drowned in the space of a few days, and discussed action to destroy vessels that could be used for trafficking.
"First and foremost now, we have to save lives and take the right measures to do so," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she arrived.
The latest summit draft statement, obtained by The Associated Press, would pledge the 28 nations to double their spending to save lives, "increase search and rescue possibilities" and to "undertake systematic efforts to identify, capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers."

Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain would contribute the navy's flagship, HMS Bulwark, along with three helicopters and two border patrol ships to the EU effort. "As the country in Europe with the biggest defense budget we can make a real contribution," but added that this would not include accepting a share of the refugees.
German army sources told the DPA news agency Berlin would offer to send the troop supply ship "Berlin" as well as frigates "Karlsruhe" and "Hessen" toward Italy. The ships currently participate in the anti-piracy operation Atalanta at the Horn of Africa and could be in the Mediterranean within five days.

Belgium also committed a navy ship today.

The task ahead is huge, with more than 10,000 migrants plucked from seas between Italy and Libya just over the last week.
For several years, EU leaders have done little more than deplore the rising death toll and mark tragedies with moments of silence and wreaths instead of fundamental action.
Even optimists say any emergency measures agreed at today's summit would not fully stem the tide of rickety ships crossing the Mediterranean.
"Europe is declaring war on smugglers," said the EU's top migration official, Dimitris Avramopoulos, who was in Malta to attend the funeral of 24 migrants who perished at sea.

So far, that has been a halfhearted skirmish, lamented Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the EU parliament's liberal ALDE group.
He complained the EU border operation Frontex had only two helicopters and seven ships in the Mediterranean. "We need a multitude out there," he said.
The draft statement also called for "a first voluntary pilot project on resettlement, offering at least 5,000 places to persons qualifying for protection."
That resettlement plan would amount to about half of the number which arrived in just the last week and a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands likely to arrive this year.