EU leaders agree to work with North Africa on migrants
European Union leaders have agreed to push ahead with plans to boost co-operation with North African countries and beef up the bloc's borders in an effort to stop migrants entering Europe.
A statement from their summit in Brussels emphasised the need to step up co-operation with countries that people leave and transit through to seek shelter or better lives in Europe.
They said work with those countries on “investigating, apprehending and prosecuting smugglers and traffickers should be intensified”. EU leaders also called for a joint smuggling taskforce to be set up.