EU focuses on combating irregular migration, crisis preparedness

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The EU has intensified its commitment to combat irregular migration and human trafficking while bolstering preparedness for crises, as conveyed in a message delivered on Friday during an ongoing EU summit in Brussels.

In a joint text agreed upon by the EU’s 27 heads of state and government, migration and crisis preparedness took center stage.

The statement said that over 90% of irregular migrants entering the EU depend on smugglers.

To tackle the issue, the EU Council affirmed its support for empowering the commission to effectively combat human trafficking and smuggling. Additionally, plans were set forth to establish a global alliance aimed at resolving these critical issues.

On crisis preparedness, the statement emphasized the imperative to strengthen and coordinate military and civilian readiness for global crises and strategic crisis management. In response, the commission was urged to formulate a crisis preparedness strategy.

Furthermore, EU leaders called for the development of an action plan geared towards preparing the entire community for threats at the EU level and enhancing crisis intervention capabilities.

EU leaders on Thursday called for an "immediate humanitarian pause" in Gaza, urging measures to prevent population displacement amid ongoing Israeli aggression in the besieged Palestinian enclave, which has taken some 32,000 lives, and led to accusations of genocide at the International Criminal Court.