The European Commission is taking the initiative to create a European mission in Libya, aimed at stemming increasing migration flows, as announced by its President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter to the 27 EU leaders. The letter notes that despite an overall 21% decrease in illegal crossings to the EU in the first half of 2025 compared to last year, the numbers remain high, with over 69,000 incidents recorded by mid-June.
The situation on the Central Mediterranean route is particularly concerning, where arrivals have increased by 7%, with Libya accounting for 93% of illegal departures. Even more alarming is the 173% increase in arrivals to Greece from Eastern Libya.
In her letter, Ursula von der Leyen emphasizes among other things that the political and security situation in Libya is extremely critical and warns of the risk of instrumentalizing migration for political purposes. Additionally, she stresses the need to intensify cooperation with all local actors in Libya, both in the western and eastern parts of the country.
In the letter, the European Commission President states that: “We must maintain close cooperation with Libyan authorities, providing financial and operational support, particularly in search and rescue operations.” She adds that she has asked Commissioner Johannes Bruner to travel to Libya for contacts with the country’s authorities, as part of a joint European approach. The goal is to strengthen border management, combat human trafficking, organize procedures for work visas and voluntary returns of migrants to their countries of origin.
It should be noted that Athens is proceeding to strengthen surveillance at its southern maritime borders, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announcing the deployment of Greek warships to the area, aimed at preventing new illegal flows to Greece and the rest of Europe.
The full letter can be found HERE:
