EU's 10-point plan to tackle Mediterranean crisis

In this photo taken at the Palermo harbor on April 15 and made available on April 19, migrants receive relief after disembarking in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. In background, right, is harbored the King Jacob Portuguese cargo vassel, the first ship to arrive near a boat believed to be crowded with 700 migrant in distress, only to see it capsizing in the waters north of Libya, Sunday, April 19, 2015. 24 migrants were confirmed dead, sparking fears for what could become the Mediterranean's deadliest known migrant sea disaster, Italy's Coast Guard and other officials said Sunday. [Photo/IC]

LUXEMBOURG - The European Union agreed on Monday a 10-point plan to prevent more tragedies in the Mediterranean after 900 people were feared killed while trying to reach Europe.

Here are the 10 points put forward by the European Commission and backed by EU foreign and interior ministers at a

meeting in Luxembourg:

1. The EU will reinforce the EU's maritime patrolling operations in the Mediterranean, called Triton and Poseidon, by giving them more money and equipment. The EU will also extend their scope to patrol a wider area of sea.

2. The bloc will make a systematic effort to capture and destroy vessels used by the people smugglers, using the EU's counter-piracy "Atalanta" operation off Somalia as a model. EU officials said it would be a combined civilian and military operation but gave no more details.

3. The EU's law enforcement, border control, asylum and prosecutors' agencies will meet regularly and work closely to gather information on how the smugglers operate, to trace their funds and help investigate them.

4. The European Union's asylum support office will to deploy teams in Italy and Greece for joint processing of asylum applications.

5. EU governments will fingerprint all migrants.

6. The EU will consider options for an "emergency relocation mechanism" for migrants.

7. The European Commission will launch a voluntary pilot project on resettling refugees across the EU.

8. The EU will establish a new return programme for rapid return of "irregular" migrants coordinated by EU agency Frontex from the EU's Mediterranean countries.

9. The EU will engage with countries surrounding Libya through a joint effort between the Commission and the EU's

diplomatic service.

10. The EU will deploy immigration liaison officers abroad to gather intelligence on migratory flows and strengthen the role of the EU delegations.