Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. EU Leaders Consider Options to Halt Flow of Migrants by VOA News European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels Thursday to discuss a range of options, including military action, to halt the flow of refugees trying to reach Europe by sea, after some 900 migrants died when their ship capsized Sunday off the coast of an Italian island. Among the proposals expected to be considered is a push to identify, capture and destroy vessels used by human traffickers, who often pack rickety boats with people fleeing conflict and hardship in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The leaders are also expected to double funding for EU border patrols in the Mediterranean and a pilot project to resettle refugees from Mediterranean countries in other EU states. The resettlement plan reportedly provides for some 5,000 refugees, only a fraction of the number of migrants flooding European shores from north Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. The United Nations estimates 36,000 have made the voyage so far this year. In the past week alone, more than 10,000 migrants were plucked from the sea between Italy and Libya. Public criticism The EU has come under mounting criticism for failing to develop an adequate response to the flow of migrants from Africa, the Middle East abd Asia seeking a more stable life in Europe. Last year, the EU scrapped a Mediterranean search-and-rescue program - the so-called "Mare Nostrum" - over some members' concerns that the maritime operations were encouraging more migrants to make the dangerous voyage to Europe. Public outrage over the deaths peaked this week after a migrant boat bound from strife-torn Libya to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa capsized Sunday, with as many as 900 people drowning. With Sunday's accident, the death toll has risen to around 1,800 so far this year, compared to fewer than 100 who died before the end of April last year, when a similar number attempted the journey. Last year the death toll eventually reached 3,200. And officials point out the peak migration season of late spring and summer has barely begun, with international organizations estimating tens of thousands of African and Asian migrants likely to attempt the journey each month, mostly from Libya. Media spotlight Some lawmakers are concerned, though, that the leaders may stump up rescue assets while the media spotlight is on their summit, but that commitments to solidarity could quickly fade away, as they have in the past. "I fear that what will happen ... is that they will try to water down a few of the points and the actual reason why they are meeting - to urgently seek solutions to what is happening today - will not be the focus of the deal," Roberta Metsola, the leading EU parliament lawmaker on migration, told The Associated Press. As survivors laid bare the full horror of last weekend's catastrophic shipwreck near Libya, a draft statement for the summit seen by the French news agency AFP committed leaders to "undertake systematic efforts to identify, capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers." The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini "is invited to immediately begin preparations for a possible security and defense policy operation to this effect, in accordance with international law," the draft added. A diplomatic source told AFP that EU members were preparing to approve the statement, reflecting the union's readiness to take more decisive action against people smugglers, who pack rickety boats to overflowing with people fleeing conflict and hardship in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Currently, five of the 28 member EU states - Italy, Greece, Malta, Germany and Sweden - are handling almost 70 percent of the migrants. The official, who is involved in preparing Thursday's summit in Brussels, is not permitted to speak publicly. Caring for refugees Meanwhile, Enzo Bianco, the mayor of the Sicilian city of Catania, called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors for migrants seeking to travel to Europe. Speaking at his office in the City Hall of Catania, Bianco said a EU office should be established in Egypt to directly deal with all those people fleeing from war and seeking refugee status. He said migrants could apply for asylum and be flown to Europe, rather than risking a perilous journey by sea. Bianco also proposed the creation of a special European tribunal to step up investigations and arrest the human traffickers. "We must have a very strong response from the justice system. The laws punishing human traffickers are old ones and they are not enough anymore," Bianco said. Over the years, thousands of migrants have arrived in Bianco's city and in nearby ports. City councils such as the one in Catania have to provide transport for the migrants to be taken to reception centers. When, as in the past week, the arrivals have been in the thousands, it falls on the cities' mayors to find shelters, such as public schools or gyms, because the holding centers are beyond capacity. Rescues continue Meanwhile, Italy's coast guard said it had rescued 220 migrants Wednesday taken from two large rubber boats about 40 miles from the Libyan coast. Another 545, most of them without even a pair of shoes, were taken to Salerno, just south of Naples. A further 446, mostly of Egyptian, Syrian, Sudanese, Somali and Eritrean origin, arrived in eastern Sicily after being rescued from a fishing boat. European authorities also continue to investigate how the migrant boat capsized on Sunday. Italian prosecutors say the ship's Tunisian captain, who has been arrested, mistakenly rammed his boat into a Portuguese container ship that was coming to its rescue. Material for this report came from Reuters, AFP and AP. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/european-union-leaders-consider-steps -to-halt-flow-of-migrants/2731264.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/european-union-leaders-consider-steps-to-halt-flow-of-migrants/2731264.html