Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta will put forward proposals for how to change the operational plan of the EU Sophia mission, which aims to eliminate refugee smuggling routes in the Mediterranean Sea, at an informal meeting of the EU defense ministers in Vienna on Thursday, a source in the Italian Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Wednesday.
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta will put forward proposals for how to change the operational plan of the EU Sophia mission, which aims to eliminate refugee smuggling routes in the Mediterranean Sea, at an informal meeting of the EU defense ministers in Vienna on Thursday, a source in the Italian Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Wednesday.
According to the source, Italy's proposals primarily concern amending the rules which state that all refugees rescued in the Mediterranean must be taken to the Italian ports. They also suggest introducing a rotation principle for disembarkation at seaports.
"We suggest that not only Italy take the burden for resolving the problem, but other EU member states should deal with it as well," the source said, adding that migrants who disembarked at seaports should then be redistributed among the EU countries.
In addition, Trenta intends to suggest that her EU colleagues set up a special coordination group on the issue, which would comprise representatives of all countries participating in the mission. The group's work should be managed by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
The EUNAVFOR MED mission, later dubbed Sophia, has been active since 2015 and aims to save migrants and halt human trafficking in the Mediterranean. Since June 2016, the mission has been additionally tasked with training the Libyan coastguard. The mission's approved operational plan expires this year.
