The special European Council meeting focused on search and rescue activities at sea. After the meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel also stressed that, "The discussion revolved around the need to save human lives – that is what moved us today."

German vessels for Triton

Before the meeting she had said, "What is at stake is the acceptance of the European Union and its values worldwide, and that makes today’s issue so vitally important, especially with a view to saving human lives."

The financial resources for the EU’s Triton and Poseidon missions in the Mediterranean are to be at least tripled for 2015 and 2016, agreed the heads of state and government. In Brussels, Angela Merkel said that money should not be a consideration when lives are at stake. If the funding proves to be inadequate, the matter must be discussed again.

To support maritime rescue activities, Germany will provide two vessels for the Triton mission. Other EU states have made similar offers, and intend to provide vessels, aircraft or experts.

Precise roadmap to be drawn up swiftly

At the start of the special meeting the heads of state and government paid tribute to the victims of the tragedies in the Mediterranean. The subsequent discussion aimed to hammer out an overarching strategy including:

• Stepping up maritime rescue operations
• Fighting the criminal activities of human traffickers
• Stepping up cooperation with countries of origin and transit states, and
• Better coordinating refugee reception in Europe.

Next week the EU will present a precise roadmap for implementation which should lay out further steps to be taken. The roadmap and further action will be on the agenda of the next regular European Council meeting in June.

Fighting criminal activities of traffickers

Angela Merkel spoke of the "cynical business model" of criminal human traffickers. To destroy the basis of their activities, options should be explored for capturing and destroying vessels used by smugglers to transport refugees. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini was requested to swiftly investigate ways of organising effective action in line with international law.

Measures are also to be undertaken to seize the assets of traffickers, and to identify and destroy smuggler networks. To this end national authorities in EU member states are to cooperate efficiently with European institutions including Europol.

Cooperating with countries of origin and transit states

The heads of state and government also discussed measures to address the root causes of the problem of refugees. These include closer cooperation with the countries of origin and transit states. The Chancellor noted, "This will, of course, require increased efforts in the field of development cooperation."

The EU intends to step up political cooperation with African partners at all levels. An EU-Africa summit is to be held for heads of state and government. Malta has offered to host this special summit meeting.

Solidarity in refugee reception in Europe

The Chancellor also pointed out that we must take a very hard look at how to further develop the system of asylum within the European Union. This will be a complex process, which will have to be negotiated step by step.

The Council meeting initially agreed on a voluntary pilot project to relocate refugees throughout the EU. The aim is to reduce the burden on countries in which a very large number of refugees arrive, as well as supporting them in processing asylum applications and registering refugees. Options for organising emergency relocation between all member states on a voluntary basis are to be considered.

The heads of state and government built on the conclusions of the EU foreign and home affairs ministers, who agreed on a ten point programme at their meeting last Monday (20 April 2015). The European Council President, Donald Tusk, convened the special European Council meeting on refugee policy at short notice.