European Union

European Union: Officials also announced that migration would be on the agenda of the European leaders' summit Oct. 24-25 and would have a priority place in the 2014 EU agenda, which Greece and Italy will spearhead during their presidencies, according to Times Colonist. The European Union has long taken a back seat regarding border security and asylum policies, leaving the problem mainly to its member states. But last week's sinking of a smuggler's boat carrying 500 migrants came as a bitter wake-up call to European officials that more co-operation will be needed to avert further tragedies of that scale. That will include more assistance to the countries most affected by the influx of refugees from Africa, namely Italy, Greece and Spain and LAMPEDUSA, Italy - The head of the European Commission announced Wednesday during a visit to Lampedusa that Italy would receive an additional 30 million euros $40 million in EU funds to help settle and receive new refugees, after the sinking of a migrant boat off the Sicilian island killed at least 297 people. "The EU cannot accept that thousands of people die at its borders," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters after touring Lampedusa's migrant holding centre. "The challenges that Lampedusa and Italy are facing are European challenges." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.