Italian officials seized a migrant rescue vessel, similar to the one pictured January 2019, as part of an investigation into illegal immigration filed against the ship's captain, but the sequestration order has been lifted (AFP Photo/FEDERICO SCOPPA)

Brussels (AFP) - The EU said Wednesday it will suspend ship patrols that have rescued tens of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italy, amid deep resistance by populist-led Rome.

The rescues were part of the EU's Operation Sophia which diplomats have decided to extend by six months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but without new ship deployments, the bloc announced.

Instead, the operation will rely on air missions and close coordination with Libya despite the political chaos that has scarred the country since 2011.

"Member states have decided to extend the mandate of Operation Sophia for six months with a temporary suspension of its naval assets while member states continue working on a solution related to disembarkation," said EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic.

However, Sophia "is a maritime operation and it is clear that without naval resources, it will not be able to carry out its mandate effectively," she added.

Since its launch in 2015, after a series of tragic shipwrecks, the mission has claimed the arrest of some 150 traffickers, and rescued 45,000 people.

But the election of a far right-populist government in Rome last year changed the fate of the mission, with authorities taking a much harsher stance towards rescued migrants heading for Italian shores.

Italy's anger effectively put an end to rescue operations through Sophia a year ago, even as the EU credited the mission with having stopped smugglers taking migrants on dangerous sea crossings.

Sources told AFP the decision split the EU's 28 member states, with several countries wondering whether Sophia -- now a naval mission without a navy -- should be halted.

- 'Damage control' -

Efforts to reform Operation Sophia in the long term have beached on the broader question of how to reform the EU's so-called Dublin asylum rules, which stipulate that the country of first arrival must process asylum seekers.

Under the stewardship of far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Rome has insisted it should not have to carry the burden of dealing with migrants rescued at sea.

The stance has seen Salvini gain in popularity ahead of EU elections set for May.

"Rationality went out of the window a long time ago," an EU diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"This is damage control in the hope that once election season is over we might actually come to our senses," the source added.

Over the years, Europe has added new functions to the mission, which also trains the Libyan coastguard and controls the enforcement of a UN arms embargo on Libya, and illegal oil trafficking.

EU cooperation with Libya has been credited with sharply reducing the number of migrants arriving from North Africa and the Middle East from a 2015 peak when Europe faced its worst migration crisis since World War II.

Activists however decry rampant human rights abuses against migrants in Libya as they await passage to Europe and urge the EU to not outsource the problem to Tripoli.

For the moment, two ships patrol the central Mediterranean as part of Operation Sophia: Spain's "Rayo" and Italy's "Luigi Rizzo", which are supported by air assets from Spain, Italy, Poland and Luxembourg.</s>European Union diplomats agree that the operation will be officially extended 6 months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but no longer deploy ships and instead rely on air missions and coordination with Libya

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The EU announced Wednesday, March 27, it will suspend ship patrols that have rescued tens of thousands of migrants since 2015 in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italy, after deep resistance by populist-led Rome.

European Union diplomats agreed that the operation would be officially extended 6 months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but no longer deploy ships and instead rely on air missions and coordination with Libya.

"Member States have decided to extend the mandate of Operation Sophia for 6 months with a temporary suspension of its naval assets while member states continue working on a solution related to disembarkation," an EU official said in a statement.

The EU has credited the mission with having stopped smugglers taking migrants on dangerous sea crossings, but anger in Italy effectively put an end to rescue operations through Sophia a year ago.

The anti-migration government that took power in Rome last year has insisted it should not have to carry the burden of dealing with migrants rescued at sea.

In demanding other EU states take in more, Rome has also blocked non-government organizations from disembarking migrants rescued at sea in Italian ports.

Efforts to adjust Operation Sophia in the long term have beached on the broader question of how to reform the EU's so-called Dublin asylum rules, which stipulate that the country of first arrival must process asylum seekers.

EU cooperation with Libya has been credited with sharply reducing the number of migrants arriving in Europe from a 2015 peak when the continent faced its worst migration crisis since World War II.

Activists however decry rampant human rights abuses against migrants in Libya as they await passage to Europe and urge the EU to not outsource the problem to Tripoli. – Rappler.com</s>The European Union will suspend ship patrols that have rescued tens of thousands of migrants since 2015 in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italy, after deep resistance by Rome, AFP reported on Wednesday. EU diplomats agreed that the operation would be officially extended six months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but no longer deploy ships and instead rely on air missions and coordination with Libya. The government in Rome has insisted it should not have to carry the burden of dealing with migrants rescued at sea. Rome has also blocked non-government organizations from disembarking migrants rescued at sea in Italian ports.</s>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will cease the maritime patrols that have rescued thousands of migrants making the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing from North Africa to Europe, but it will extend air missions, two diplomats said on Tuesday.

A new agreement on the EU’s Operation Sophia was hammered out after Italy, where anti-migrant sentiment is rising, said it would no longer receive those rescued at sea.

Operation Sophia’s mandate was due to expire on Sunday but should now continue for another six months with the same aim of detering people smugglers in the Mediterranean. But it will no longer deploy ships, instead relying on air patrols and closer coordination with Libya, the diplomats said.

“It is awkward, but this was the only way forward given Italy’s position, because nobody wanted the Sophia mission completely shut down,” one EU diplomat said.

A second diplomat confirmed a deal had been reached and said it must be endorsed by all EU governments on Wednesday.

The tentative deal, however, could weaken Operation Sophia’s role in saving lives in the sea where nearly 2,300 people perished last year, according to United Nations figures.

From the more than one million refugees and migrants who made it to the bloc during a 2015 crisis, sea arrivals dropped to 141,500 people in 2018, according to the United Nations.

Still, Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, has said his country would no longer be the main point of disembarkation for people trying to cross the Mediterranean by boat and rescued by Sophia’s patrol ships.

Rome called for other countries to open up their ports instead, but no other EU states came forward. Diplomats said countries including Spain, France and Germany signaled they were not willing to host more rescued people - most of whom are fleeing wars and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

However, EU governments did want the mission to continue because they felt it had been effective in dissuading smugglers.

The compromise discussion in Brussels did not discuss military aspects of the role of air patrols. But the new arrangement will involve more training of the coast guard in Libya, where lawlessness has allowed smugglers to openly operate sending people to Europe by sea.

But it would be in line with the EU’s policy of turning increasingly restrictive on Mediterranean immigration since the surge in 2015 and discouraging people from risking their lives in the sea in trying to cross to Europe where governments do not want them.

The bloc has already curbed operations of EU aid groups in the part of the Mediterranean in question and moved its own ships further north where fewer rescues take place.</s>The European Union is to stop the sea patrols that have rescued thousands of refugees and migrants from the central Mediterranean, after Italy’s populist government threatened to veto its entire search-and-rescue operation.

Operation Sophia, which has two vessels and five planes and helicopters, was set up in 2015 to prevent loss of life at sea in a year when 3,771 people died or went missing attempting to reach Europe in rickety boats.

The sea patrol element of the operation will end on 30 September, though air patrols will be stepped up. The mission will also continue training the Libyan coastguard – part of a controversial strategy that critics say leads to people being trapped in Libyan detention centres, where they suffer horrific abuse.

The future of the mission, which was due to expire this Sunday, became tangled up in an argument over which EU country should take in those rescued at sea.

Diplomats agreed a compromise that would extend Operation Sophia’s mandate for six months, while suspending sea patrols. “The alternative was to close the operation,” the official said.

Italy has refused to take in people from search-and-rescue ships since its government came to office last June. The country’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has declared Italian waters closed to rescue boats, leaving a series of NGO vessels and their stricken passengers stuck at sea with nowhere to land.

In response, groups of EU member states have formed coalitions of the willing to take rescued migrants once the ship has docked at another port.

The EU would like to turn these ad-hoc arrangements into a semi-permanent disembarkation scheme, but the plan has faltered on arguments over who should bear the responsibility for taking in people and processing asylum claims.

A spokeswoman for the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, acknowledged that Operation Sophia would be less effective without boats. “Operation Sophia is an essential part of the European Union’s work to dismantle the business model of traffickers and improve the overall maritime security and stability in the central Mediterranean,” she said.

“Member states have decided to extend the mandate of Operation Sophia for six months with a temporary suspension of its naval assets while member states continue working on a solution related to disembarkation.”

“It’s true that Operation Sophia is a maritime operation and it is clear that without naval assets the operation will not be able to effectively implement its mandate, but the decision has been taken by the member states.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Rome have opened an investigation into kidnapping after the Italian government prevented the disembarkation of 47 people from a migrant rescue boat in January.

Prosecutors did not name anyone in their investigation, but in a similar case earlier this year a court ruled that Salvini should be tried on kidnapping charges. In a vote last week, Italian senators voted to defend Salvini’s parliamentary immunity and blocked the case against him.</s>The European Union is set to end the navy patrols aimed at preventing migrants from making the perilous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe.

Instead it will extend air patrols. It's a compromise aimed at Italy, which has said it will no longer receive those rescued at sea.

The United Nations says almost 2,300 people died trying to make the crossing last year.

Euronews' correspondent in Brussels, Jack Parrock, says it's estimated that 45,000 lives have been saved by the patrols, known as Operation Sophia. However, the operation has been controversial.

He said: "There are many governments in the European Union that believe it encourages people to board boats on the Libyan coastline and be smuggled into the European Union because they think they will be saved by naval vessels in the Mediterranean."

Italy has called on other countries to open up their ports, but no other EU states have come forward.</s>THE Naval Service is ending its deployment in the EU's big migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

THE Naval Service is ending its deployment in the EU's big migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

The move follows a decision by the EU to stop maritime patrols of the sea between north Africa and Europe and to focus, instead, on air patrols and closer co-ordination and co-operation with Libyan authorities.

Naval vessel, LE Eithne, with a crew of about 60, was due to return to the Mediterranean at the end of the month.

But the patrol vessel will now remain at home after previously being involved in the rescue of more than 500 migrants from the Mediterranean.

The mandate for the operation, codenamed Sophia, was due to expire on Sunday but will now be extended for a further six months with a similar aim of disrupting people smuggling and trafficking in the Med.

The Eithne, which is the Naval Service flag ship, first deployed to the Med in May 2015, originally as part of Operation Pontus and during that operation Naval Service ships and crews rescued a total of 16,808 people until it ended its involvement in mid 2017.

The Naval Service then switched from the largely humanitarian focused operation to Operation Sophia, which was more pro-active in preventing illegal immigration.

A tougher anti immigrant stance in some EU countries such as Italy, where the government decided it would no longer accept those rescued at sea, resulted in the decision to scrap the maritime patrols and rely on air patrols only.

One EU diplomat said last night: "It is awkward but this was the only way forward, given Italy's position, because nobody wanted the Sophia mission completely shut down."

The Department of Defence said last night that EU states had agreed last December to extend Sophia's mandate for three months to provide time for a solution to be found in relation to the disembarkation of migrants rescued under this mission.

Further discussions took place this week at EU level about reviewing the mandate beyond this Sunday.

As no solution to the issue was found, the department said, it was expected a decision would be adopted in the coming days to extend Sophia for six months with a temporary suspension of its naval assets while EU member states continued working to find a solution.

Sophia's mandate would continue to be implemented through strengthening surveillance by air assets as well as reinforcing training support to the Libyan coastguard and navy.</s>EU diplomats on Tuesday reached a tentative deal to extend Operation Sophia, the bloc's anti-smuggling operation in the Mediterranean.

The Political and Security Committee, made up of EU ambassadors and dealing with defense and foreign policy issues, agreed on a draft text, seen by POLITICO, that states they “agreed to the extension of the mandate of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia for 6 months.”

They also agreed “for operational reasons, to temporarily suspend the deployment of Operation Sophia's naval assets ... for the duration of this extension, while continuing to implement its mandate reinforcing surveillance by air assets as well as reinforcing support to the Libyan Navy Coastguard.”

Diplomats said national capitals have until Wednesday at 11 a.m. to give their final consensus. According to two diplomats, Rome and Budapest are the most likely to still have some issues, and Paris is not wholly convinced.

The current mandate of Operation Sophia, which has its headquarters in Rome, was due to expire at the end of the month. The decision to extend was controversial as Rome wanted to change the rules so that rescued migrants — who now arrive in Italy — are redistributed to other member states. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far right League, threatened several times to pull the plug on the operation if the rules were not changed. “Either rules change or it will all finish here,” he said in January.

Diplomats also said the current solution would not require a change of mandate, which would be a lengthy procedure. Other options were to shut down Sophia or to launch a new operation, moving the headquarters away from Italy, likely to Tunisia, with a new mandate involving only the training of the Libyan coast guard.

The current mandate is much broader: when the operation was launched in June 2015 its aim was to disrupt people smugglers' networks but in June 2016 and again in July 2017 it was expanded. It now includes also other tasks such as the implementation of the U.N. arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya and gathering information on illegal trafficking of oil exports from the North African country.

In theory search and rescue is not part of the mandate of Operation Sophia, but it is a legal obligation for all sailors under U.N. maritime conventions.

Some EU officials were skeptical that Italy would really pull the plug since, without Operation Sophia, Rome would face higher costs and more responsibility if the flow of migrants from Libya increased. As for the Italian request to share rescued migrants across the bloc, diplomats say the discussion will continue but some countries have a problem with this request because so far only asylum-seekers have been able to be relocated, and extending this to all migrants could be a “pull factor.”</s>In an agreement made on Tuesday, the European Union's Operation Sophia will transition from using maritime patrols to air missions. The program will also be extended for an additional six months.

Operation Sophia has been in place since 2015 and was started in order to prevent the smuggling of people across the Mediterranean Sea. Since its origin, it's predicted that the program has rescued about 45,000 people.

The change in transportation comes after Italy said that it would no longer accept people rescued at sea. Italy, along with other EU countries, concluded that the use of boats was inefficient at dissuading migrants from getting on the boats in an attempt to reach Europe.

The Italian government has recommended that other EU member states should receive migrants at their respective ports.

While the operation will continue, the transition from sea to air rescue prevents the rescue of people who are being smuggled by water.</s>BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - The European Union is considering a six-month extension to its Mediterranean mission, which is aimed at cracking down on smugglers and migration from Africa, but only for air patrols and training Libya's coast guard, according to a draft statement.

The current mandate of the so-called Sophia mission expires this week and Italy wants to change it so that its ships are no longer patrolling and picking up people in the sea. Other states such as Germany want to prolong Sophia.

A potential compromise discussed by national diplomats in Brussels on Tuesday, which was seen by Reuters, said the EU "agreed to the extension of the mandate... for 6 months and instructed the Operation Commander... to temporarily suspend the deployment of Operation Sophia's naval assets... while continuing to implement its mandate reinforcing surveillance by air assets."

The draft agreement also said Sophia would increase training of the Libyan coast guard, as sought by Rome. EU diplomats said the proposal was not yet certain to win the final endorsement. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Robin Emmott)
The European Union says it is suspending Operation Sophia ship patrols. Instead, the operation will rely on air missions and close coordination with Libya. The EU also announces the mandate for Operation Sophia, which was scheduled to expire March 31, 2019, will be extended for six months.