Six European Union countries have agreed to take in the 356 migrants stranded at sea for two weeks aboard the ‘Ocean Viking’ rescue vessel.
The move could end the latest standoff among members of the bloc over migration to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.
The migrants on board the ship, which is operated by French charities, will be taken to Malta before being received by France, Germany, Romania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Ireland, the EU migration commissioner and Maltese prime minister said.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on Friday criticized the lack of a coordinated EU response. “Ad hoc arrangements on a case-by-case basis is not sustainable or humane. EU is better than this!,” he tweeted. Ireland decided to accept up to 100 asylum-seekers during the remainder of this year.