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European and African ministers are meeting in Tunisia about efforts to regulate the flow of refugees from Africa to Europe, primarily along the deadly central Mediterranean route originating in Libya.

In a declaration Monday in Tunis, the capital, the ministers said they agreed on a multi-pronged approach to the crisis, including informing people about the risks of illegal migration and the possibility of voluntarily returning home, addressing why migrants leave home and beefing up actions against human traffickers.

Participating in the meetings were interior ministers from Algeria, Austria, Chad, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Mali, Malta, Niger, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Estonia, which currently holds the EU Council presidency.

Through the first half of 2017, nearly 84,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea, 20 percent more than during the same period last year. Detention centers and temporary shelters that Italy has for migrants have reached their maximum capacity of 200,000 people, but there are many other migrants in the country working illegally.

The meeting in Tunisia focused on Libya, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said, since 95 percent of the migrants crossing the sea to Europe set sail from Libya. The ongoing political upheaval in Libya makes the problem worse, Collomb said, adding: "As long as a stable government is not in place, the control of this flux cannot be assured."

The European Union has proposed training and financing to increase the capabilities of Libya's coast guards, and last week the bloc also approved new rules for refugee-rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean. The vessels that charities operate to rescue refugees stranded on the open sea are now forbidden to coordinate their movements, either by phone or signal lights, with people-smugglers who pick up would-be migrants in Libya and sometimes leave them stranded at sea.

The refugee-rescue ships also are now required to stay out of Libyan territorial waters, where they previously have picked up asylum-seekers close to shore. Any vessel that breaks the new rules risks being banned from Italian ports.

Humanitarian ships now pick up more than a third of all migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, compared to one percent in 2014.

Not all stranded migrants are rescued. More than 2,200 people died this year during unsuccessful attempts to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration.

In their final declaration in Tunis, the ministers agreed that their countries should try to address "the root causes of irregular migration" and "strengthen the exchange of strategic and operational information on criminal networks for trafficking in human beings."

The statement said public development aid is needed to fight the causes of migration and create more opportunities at home, as well as to help border authorities with training, equipment and infrastructure.

"We have to stick together,'' said Dimitris Avramopoulos, European commissioner for migration. He insisted "Europe is not a fortress,'' but added that legal migration procedures must be followed.

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Interior Ministers from Europe, Africa Meet to Tackle Migrant Crisis - Voice of America

The number of Eurostar passengers also rose 1.4pc compared to the same period in 2016, in spite of terrorist attacks in the UK. Eurotunnel does not own the train operator but earns revenue from fees the train company pays to use the rail link.

Mr Gounon said Europeans now accepted terrorism as a permanent issue and that it did not prevent them from travelling.

The chief executive also said the cross-Channel train service had benefited from the fact more tourists wanted to go to countries they deemed safer than places in the Middle East and north Africa which had been more heavily blighted by terror attacks.

In terms of pricing for its Eurotunnel shuttle services, Mr Gounon said his company was not seeing the downward pressure on fares which is evident in the rival airline industry. He added initiatives such as its Flexiplus fares, which for a premium give cars priority boarding on its shuttles and travellers access to its Flexiplus lounges, were proving popular.

Read more:
Improved security boosts Eurotunnel freight traffic by a fifth as post migrant-crisis recovery continues - Telegraph.co.uk

Interior ministers from 14 nations and the European Union agreed Monday to boost cooperation to tackle the migrant crisis along the deadly central Mediterranean route, promising to address why migrants leave home and to beef up actions against human traffickers.

In a declaration at the meeting in the Tunisian capital of Tunis, the ministers also agreed to inform people about the risks of illegal migration and the possibility of voluntarily returning home.

It was the second meeting of the group of European and African countries and it included Libya, a smuggling haven for migrants. The gathering also came a day before France hosts two Libyan rivals, the U.N.-backed prime minister and a powerful general, in a bid to stabilize the chaotic North African nation.

The ministers focused on Libya, since according to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, 95 percent of the migrants flowing across the sea into Europe comes from Libya.

"As long as a stable government is not in place, the control of this flux cannot be assured," Collomb said.

In the first half of 2017, nearly 84,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea, a 20 percent increase from the same period last year, and more than 2,200 others have apparently died trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The meeting's final declaration said a global commitment to immigration is needed with a shared sense of responsibility and solidarity to tackle the crisis.

"There is no magic solution. No nation can alone deal with the migratory flux and no nation is sheltered from it," Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said after the meeting, stressing the need for a common strategy.

The statement said public development aid is needed to fight the causes of migration and create more opportunities at home, as well as to help border authorities with training, equipment and infrastructure.

"We have to stick together," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, European commissioner for migration. He insisted "Europe is not a fortress," but added that legal migration procedures must be followed.

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Ministers from Europe, Africa meet to tackle migrant crisis - ABC News

BBC News

Why I used holiday to understand Greek migrant crisis BBC News I'm on a plane to Athens, my stomach churning as I try to focus on what's ahead of me. A few days ago, I made the decision to do this and suddenly here I am doing it. When I land I will meet a woman called Zena, a refugee from Iraq and for the next few ... and more »

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Why I used holiday to understand Greek migrant crisis - BBC News

Germanys Social Democratic (SPD) leader Martin Schulz warned Sunday that another wave of uncontrolled immigration could hit the country if it fails to act.

Schulz accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of ignoring the refugee issue during her campaignto secure a fourth term in office in Septembers general election. Schulz, who has fallen far behind Merkel in polls, argued hes better prepared to lead when the next migrant crisis strikes the country.

In 2015 more than 1million refugees came to Germany, mostly without government monitoring, Schulz told Bild in an interview published Sunday. The chancellor opened ourborder with Austria for humanitarian reasons but unfortunately without consultingour partners in Europe. If we dont act now, that situation could repeat itself.

Andreas Scheuer, the general secretary of Merkels allies the Christian Social Union, called Schulz untrustworthy and dubious for criticizing Merkel when his party has opposed measures to cut the migrant influx in the past.

More deportations, more secure countries of origin, border controls and transits SPD and Martin Schulz have blocked all thisforcefully, Scheuer said, according to Die Welt.

CDU leaderHorst Seehofer told Welt that the government has to acknowledge that the migrant crisis will continue with more and more people attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea from Africa.

Right now the situation is quiet, Seehofer said. But we all know: the migration wave will continue.

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Merkel's Election Opponent Warns Of New Migrant Crisis In Germany - The Daily Caller