The meeting came as the International Organisation for Migration said that more than 600,000 people had arrived by sea into Europe this year and more than 3000 of them died trying to reach Europe to escape war or poverty. Many entered through Greece from Turkey - home to some two million Syrian refugees who have overwhelmed the country's coast guard and meagre reception facilities.
The one positive note yesterday was the agreement to boost the Frontex border agency, as the EU mulls whether to set up a European border guard, which could help patrol Greece's patchwork island border with Turkey.
"In the coming months, the agency will develop into a more operational body," EU Council president Donald Tusk said. "Our aim is to give Frontex the right to return irregular migrants on its own initiative and to make it more proactive in protecting external borders." Estimates based on EU figures suggest that possibly a third of the people arriving in Europe might not qualify for asylum.
But no fresh pledges of money were made, despite a promise by the leaders last month to stump up hundreds of millions of euros for Syrian refugees and to help Africa better manage its borders.
"We are lacking 2.3 billion [$3.8 billion] to be provided by member states," European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters after the summit. But he said the leaders promised this time that they would come up with the funds "in the next couple of weeks".
The commission has complained that only three of 28 nations have pledged a total of just 12 million to a fund to help African nations better manage their borders. The pot is meant to total 1.8 billion over two years.
Frontex and the EU asylum office have appealed for a total of around 1000 officers to help fingerprint people and decide whether they are eligible for asylum. So far, about a dozen of the 28 EU nations have offered around 130 personnel.
"We can, and must, do much better," Tusk said, adding that the influx of migrants could get much worse.
In their final statement, the leaders gave "political support" for an action plan for Turkey to help it manage its own refugee emergency, but a final agreement proved elusive and discussions in Ankara continue.
- AP
Migrants die in collision at sea
A wooden boat carrying dozens of migrants from Turkey to Europe sank near the island of Lesbos after colliding with a Greek coastguard vessel, leaving at least seven people dead, including four children, rescuers said.
The boat sank within minutes of the crash with a 30m patrol vessel, in circumstances that were being investigated.
The first bodies to be retrieved were those of a woman, two young girls and a baby, the coastguard said.
Three other victims, "a woman, a man and a minor", were found later, the coastguard said as Greek rescuers backed by a Portuguese ship and an EU border agency Frontex helicopter combed the waters.
The 31 survivors who were brought to safety had reported a total of eight people missing.
- AFP
