European warships in the Mediterranean launched a new operation on Wednesday (Oct 7) to catch migrant smugglers as the leaders of Germany and France were to push for further EU action to cope with the refugee crisis, AFP reports.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande will give a joint speech to the European Parliament, the first of its kind since 1989, in a bid to present an image of solidarity at a time of deep divisions in the EU.
The military mission, dubbed Operation Sophia, involves six naval vessels in international waters off Libya with the power to stop, board, seize and destroy traffickers' boats in a bid to curb the worst crisis of its kind since World War II.