On Thursday 2 February, on the eve of the informal summit of Valetta, 350 km from the coast of Libya, the European leaders reiterated their determination to cut off the migration route of the central Mediterranean and to toughen up the policy of returning illegal migrants to the African countries of origin in full respect of international law (see EUROPE 11716).
"Now it is time to close down the route from Libya to Italy", said the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, following a...