EU ministers urge intelligence sharing on migrant crisis

EU defence ministers on Sunday discussed the sharing of intelligence to stop human traffickers behind the flow of migrants from North Africa, but said a UN mandate was necessary to do more.

Ministers from France, Germany, Poland and Spain met a day before EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini briefs a special UN Security Council meeting on the bloc's plans to stem the influx of migrants, thousands of whom have died in their efforts to reach Europe.

"First we must exchange intelligence to locate the smugglers and their means of transport," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said after the meeting in the western French city of Lorient.

"Then, we need coercive action and this cannot take place without a UN mandate which is being discussed."

The European Union is looking to the Security Council for endorsement of a plan which could involve destroying boats operated by traffickers.

More than 5,000 refugees have died over the past 18 months as boats operated by smugglers have capsized off Libya's coast, triggering alarm among European leaders seeking to halt the flow.

Most set sail from the lawless shores of Libya, where the breakdown of government since the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi has allowed ruthless people traffickers to operate with impunity.

- Breaking international law? -
But critics say military action in Libyan waters or stopping a vessel flying the country's flag without an international mandate would break international law.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also criticised the plan, saying that destroying boats could affect the livelihoods of Libyan fishermen, who may be forced into dealings with the smugglers to make ends meet.

For now, Brussels is concentrating on stopping unflagged boats and sharing intelligence on traffickers, according to EU sources. That could include information gathered from radar, aerial surveillance and wiretaps.

The aim is "to identify the points of departure, the security situation on the ground" and establish a multinational team of planning officers, said a military source in Paris.

Le Drian said the defence ministers also discussed how to secure a potential government of national unity in Libya if political rivals reach agreement there.

- 'A bunch of chickens' -

The meeting also focused on Europe's common defence policy, which European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker last week said was less effective than "a bunch of chickens," calling for a more centralised military procurement strategy.
To this end, France and Germany are planning to jointly build a military observation satellite and this year hope to launch a project to develop a European drone with Italy.

Overall the EU is falling short of the NATO target to spend two percent of gross domestic product on defence -- with the notable exception of Poland, which is undertaking a vast modernisation of its army.

Germany has pledged to raise its military budget to 34.9 billion euros ($39.1 billion) by 2018, from 33 billion this year, while France has said it will increase its budget by close to 4 billion euros between 2016 and 2019.

"If you add Europe's human competence to its material capacity in the defence field, you have before you the second most powerful military force in the world," said Spanish defence minister Pedro Morenes.

"Efforts must be made so that this force can be deployed when necessary."

The ministers also expressed their support for European aerospace group Airbus after the crash of its new A400M military plane in Spain which left four people dead and prompted several countries to ground the aircraft.