Agencies of the European Union

The European Union has doubled the emergency aid to frontline member states Italy, Greece and Malta which have to deal with the massive influx of migrants coming across the Mediterranean to 50 million euros ($54 million) a year.

The EU committed itself to strengthening the Triton and Poseidon operations by at least tripling the funding in 2015 and 2016 as well as extending their search and rescue mandates.

This was decided at the special European Council meeting on migratory pressures in the Mediterranean Sea, which gathered EU Heads of State or Government on Thursday.

Romania could send upon request experts to Frontex, the European Union agency that manages the cooperation between national border guards, President Klaus Iohannis declared on Thursday evening, after the extraordinary meeting of the European Council; he said solidarity was needed with the states around the Mediterranean Sea facing immigration problems.

The extraordinary meeting of the European Council on Thursday was attended by EU leaders who  agreed that the situation in the Mediterranean is a tragedy. For this reason, they agreed to mobilize all efforts at their disposal to prevent the further loss of life at sea and tackle the root casue of the human emergency being faced.

At an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday European Union leaders agreed on a series of measures aimed at addressing the growing flows of migrants to Europe, which have become an increasing challenge for Mediterranean countries like Greece to deal with.

The Romanian Police is appreciated as one of the most active Europol members, Deputy Prime Minister for National Security, Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea said on Thursday.

Photo credit: (c) Angelo BREZOIANU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Bulgarian Border Police registered a triple increase in the number of illegal migrant crossings of the border with Turkey in the first three months of 2015.

A total of 956 people were detained as they attempted to cross the border illegally, which is almost a triple increase compared to the same period in 2014.

Europe "collectively guilty" for drowning of migrants

PARIS -- Europe is collectively guilty of letting hundreds of migrants die in the Mediterranean, says a former French minister and founder of Doctors Without Borders.

Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri has assured Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova that the European border agency is ready to help Bulgaria if migratory pressures via the Black Sea increase.

Leggeri told Bachvarova that Frontex could help with the organization of more joint return flights of illegal immigrants to their home.

Large group of smugglers of migrants from Kosovo arrested

THE HAGUE -- European police forces have dismantled a large international criminal network that smuggled irregular migrants to Western European countries for money.

The announcement was made by Europol on Wednesday.