Libyan coastguard ‘very effective’ in reducing number of Europe-bound migrants – Czech PM

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Wednesday underscored his country’s objections to distributing migrants through the European Union. Speaking at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, he called for closer cooperation with Libya to combat human smuggling across the Mediterranean. Babis said it was difficult to work with Libya, given the ongoing violence among rival factions. However, the Libyan coastguard has been “very effective” in reducing the number of Europe-bound migrants, the PM said. Babis also called for more discussion within the EU about its future structure, and issues such as the future admission of countries in the Western Balkan region, Reuters reported.