EU vows to tackle immigration in Mediterranean

Top leaders of the European Union (EU) on Friday vowed to tackle immigration issues in the Mediterranean with a task force, following a shipwreck off an Italian island that had killed hundreds in early October. "Leaders all agree determined actions should be taken in order to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to avoid that such tragedies happen again," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said at the end of a two-day summit in Brussels. "We will return to asylum and migration in December precisely with operational conclusions," Van Rompuy said, referring to the next summit in two months. The task force would address the root causes of illegal migration flows and work with countries of origin and transit, he added. Van Rompuy also called on member states to swiftly implement the new European border surveillance system Eurosur and reinforce the activities of the EU's border agency Frontex in the Mediterranean. The summit was dominated by the alleged U.S. spying scandal and immigration concerns, though EU leaders still managed to reach consensus on previously planned topics such as the digital market.