European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos will be in Malta this evening and is expected to attend tomorrow’s funeral service for 24 migrants involved in the tragedy off Libya.

The visit comes in the wake of a diplomatic drive by Malta and Italy to achieve an EU-wide agreement on a plan of action to tackle Libyan criminal networks smuggling people across the Mediterranean.

Mr Avramopoulos is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat after arriving here from Rome. It will be his second visit to Malta in the space of a month.

After attending tomorrow’s service, the Commissioner will head to the emergency EU summit, which was requested by Italy and Malta.

Sources said Italy’s Interior Minister A

During the summit, the European Commission will propose a pilot programme for the resettlement of migrants to be shared among all member states and proposals to tackle the crisis, including destroying smugglers’ boats.

It will also call for better funding and equipment for the EU border control operations.

The 24 bodies brought to Malta on Monday were the only ones recovered so far from the tragedy, which is estimated to have left some 800 people dead after a fishing boat capsized.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com

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