The European Union will allow members to restrict sales of inflatable boats and outboard motors to Libya in an effort to stop dangerous migrant smuggling across the Mediterranean. This decision we have taken at the European Union level will help make their businesses and lives even more complicated.” In a statement Brussels said it national authorities can now block the sale of dinghies and outboard motors to Libya if there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect they will be used by people smugglers and human traffickers. The EU said the restrictions will not prevent exports or sales when they are "meant for legitimate uses by the civilian population, for instance for fishermen, who may need motors for their boats." The foreign ministers meanwhile extended until the end of 2018 an EU mission to help Libya re-establish effective controls mainly at its southern borders where sub-Saharan African refugees and migrants first arrive.
The European Union restricts the exports of inflatable boats to Libya.