EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Thursday urged member states to “take more responsibility” and ensure the bloc’s migrant rescue operation continues to fight human trafficking in the Mediterranean.
Rome plans to ask the European Union to modify the rules of the Sophia mission — currently commanded by Italy — and rotate the ports where migrants rescued at sea can disembark, with France and Spain expected to top the list.
Currently all the ships dock in Italy but Rome’s new right-wing, nationalist government says it should not have to carry the burden on its own and it is time other EU states do their fair share by taking in more of the migrants.
In comments before informal talks by EU defense ministers, Mogherini called on them to show a “constructive attitude” to work to continue the mission.
“So far consensus has not been found... We can definitely not afford to leave an EU operation without clarity on the rules it has to follow,” she said ahead of the meeting in Vienna.
“It would be good if member states take more responsibility,” she added. “The important thing is that we manage to keep the operation going... This has been a remarkable achievement for all of the European Union.”
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Sophia’s mandate was until year end — when she expected EU leaders to solve the question of how asylum seekers coming to Europe whose claims are recognized should be distributed among member states and how those rejected should be returned home.
“That is the question that is anyhow right on top of the agenda of EU leaders... and so I expect this question to be solved in the autumn,” she said.
EU leaders will meet in the Austrian city of Salzburg in September to discuss the migrant crisis. Austria currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
Sophia was launched in June 2015 following a series of deadly shipwrecks and has since picked up thousands of migrants floundering in the Mediterranean.
According to La Stampa newspaper, Italy’s idea is to rotate landings between Mediterranean ports, with a particular emphasis on France and Spain, and with Greece and Malta also sharing the load.
Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta said late Wednesday that the ball was in the EU camp.
“By accepting our proposal it (the EU) will have the opportunity to show it is a real community of values and intentions; by refusing it will deny its own fundamental principles,” she said.
Italy has been turning away ships with migrants rescued at sea in a campaign to make EU countries take their share.
Last week, it threatened to stop billions of euros of EU funding over the issue, accusing Europe of turning its back as Italy grapples with seemingly endless migrant arrivals.
Mogherini urges EU to take ‘more responsibility’ on migrant mission
Mogherini urges EU to take ‘more responsibility’ on migrant mission
- EU leaders will meet in the Austrian city of Salzburg in September to discuss the migrant crisis
Norway says Russia, China seek to up presence on Svalbard
- The second-largest town on Svalbard is almost entirely populated by Russian nationals
- China’s presence was becoming more visible in the Arctic
OSLO: While global tensions have focused on Greenland, Norway’s military intelligence service said on Friday that Russia and China were looking to increase their presence on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
In its annual threat assessment, the Norwegian Intelligence Service said that “from Moscow’s perspective, Svalbard’s strategic location makes it necessary to maintain a Russian presence there.”
The second-largest town on Svalbard, the coal mining settlement of Barentsburg, is almost entirely populated by Russian nationals.
“There are signs that the Kremlin is looking to make the Barentsburg settlement less dependent on Norwegian supply and transport infrastructure
“Regular port visits by ships from Russia constitute one planned step in this direction,” the agency said.
It said Beijing was “also expected to work toward enhancing the Chinese presence in Svalbard.”
“The archipelago is strategically placed for future shipping routes and polar research, which are central to cementing China’s role as an Arctic actor,” it said in its report.
It noted that China’s presence was becoming more visible in the Arctic and that five Chinese research vessels had operated in the Arctic Ocean in 2025, compared to three in 2024 and one in previous years.
The service also noted that tensions between the United States and Europe over Greenland and security in the Arctic “could serve both Russian and Chinese interests.”
- ‘Crumbling’ world order -
Andreas Stensones, head of the service, said in the report that Moscow and Beijing stood to benefit as “international cooperation and institutions are being undermined.”
“The same dynamic is evident in the Arctic. Much of the foundation for Norwegian security is being challenged and we must accept that the world order as we have known it is crumbling,” Stensones said.
Speaking at a press conference, Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik noted: “2026 has so far been characterised by great uncertainty.”
He pointed in particular to US President Donald Trump’s vocally stated desire to take over Greenland.
Trump’s threats against Greenland last month plunged NATO — of which Norway is a member — into its deepest crisis in years.
“There is no denying that relations across the Atlantic are more unpredictable,” Sandvik said.
Stensones told the same press conference that Washington’s actions affected how both Moscow and Beijing were thinking and acting.
“In their view, western unity has already begun to crack, and they see great opportunities to strengthen their influence and secure control in their neighboring areas,” he told reporters.
