On Monday 17 July, the Foreign Affairs Council decided to strengthen the EU's sanctions against smugglers in Libya.
"The EU has (...) agreed to introduce restrictions on the export to Libya of certain products which may be used to facilitate the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, notably dinghies and outboard motors", the Council states in its conclusions. It adds that the EU will consider how the restriction of access to these products for smugglers and traffickers could be extended beyond the EU. The EU member states will now have a legal basis to prevent the export and supply of these products to Libya when there is reason to believe that they will be used by human traffickers and smugglers. However, these restrictions will not prevent the export or sale of these goods if they are for legitimate use by the civilian population – for example, by fishermen.
Furthermore, the ministers announce in their conclusions that the EU "is ready to look into possibilities to extend restrictive measures also to smugglers of migrants and traffickers of human beings".
"The EU will further engage and provide support to enhance both sea and land border management by Libyan Authorities", the ministers state. The Council has thus agreed to extend the EUBAM Libya border management mission until 31 December 2018 and to give it the task of planning for a possible civilian mission of strengthening capacity and assisting in crises. The ministers also announced that they would "soon" take a decision on whether to renew Operation Sophia, which fights against human traffickers in the Mediterranean. The operation's mandate expires on 27 July. Italy has still not given it agreement to the renewal of this mission, so as to put pressure on the other member states as regards the migration crisis.
Belgium's minister Didier Reynders gave his backing to the operation but said it was important to put "greater attention on Libyan territorial waters" and that it was important "to reflect on how Sophia could play its role in territorial waters". Sophia does not have authorisation to enter territorial waters. When asked about this, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that the Libyan coastguard could work in territorial waters, and that the important point was that the work be done. In the face of much criticism suffered by the Libyan coastguard regarding their attitude to migrants, the Council hailed the European Council's decision to set up a monitoring mechanism to assess the effectiveness of coastguard training – but it did not say how this could be done, however.
In addition, the ministers reiterate their support for the Libyan political agreement and underline their support for the new UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salamé, whom they have invited to an upcoming session of the Foreign Affairs Council. "Libya has enough resources – human, economic and natural – to find its own way out of the political crisis", Mogherini told press. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)