The concern over the deaths of thousands of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean may at last prompt a real increase in efforts to prevent them drowning. European Union leaders met in Brussels on 23 April 2015 and promised a major upgrade in their investment. France and the UK will be among the lead actors of any initiative, in part because these countries pride themselves on having large efficient navies able to deploy serious resources.
These two states have recently neglected the issue of the boat-people. This is bad enough in humanitarian terms. It's even more so in light of the fact that the two countries are more responsible than any other for the near-total lack of national stability and security in Libya, from where the great majority of those who have died had set out
For many years, a continuous stream of people has attempted to cross into western Europe. Until recently the other favoured routes were Morocco-to-Spain and Turkey-to-Greece. Many making the attempt are motivated by hope for better life-chances, while others are impelled by a desperate effort to escape conflict-zones.
