News analysis: Europe's refugee problem reaching epic proportions; what can Italy, Europe do about it?

With the death toll of refugees fleeing Africa and the Middle East for European shores rising to new highs, European leaders hastily called a set of meetings this week to figure out ways to curb the crisis.

Matteo Renzi, Italy's prime minister, has been calling for increased international cooperation on this front since last October, when the cash-strapped Italian government was forced to disband its costly Mare Nostrum program, which was replaced by the European Union's smaller Triton initiative.

The contrast between the two programs is dramatic: Mare Nostrum utilized five to six large navy ships, two airplanes, drones, and a fleet of nine helicopters. Triton, in contrast, deployed seven small Coast Guard vessels, two airplanes, and a single helicopter. Mare Nostrum had a monthly budget of 9 million euros (about 9.7 million U.S. dollars) and 900 staff; Triton just 2.8 million euros and 65 staff.

Even more importantly, Mare Nostrum monitored and carried out rescue operations over more than 70,000 square km of sea, while Triton is charged with protecting Europe's borders over within 49 km of Europe's shores.

It seems likely that EU leaders will agree to increase Triton's budget, staff, and available equipment. But it's not clear whether that will be enough: the number of migrants rose dramatically from around 60,000 in 2013 to at least 170,000 last year. The number is expected to nearly triple again, to as many as 500,000 this year. What else can be done?

Antonio Luppi, an immigration activist who follows the issues in Africa closely, said he believes Italy should take a leadership role in any kind of European initiative, both because Italy is the most popular point of arrival for refugees, and because of its experience with Mare Nostrum.

"It is Italy that has been addressing this problem the longest, and so it should be a leader," Luppi said in an interview.

Renzi has been pushing for other countries to share the increased burden of the costs of processing the refugees, in hosting them once asylum seekers settle, and in standardizing immigration and asylum rules across the 28-nation bloc.

Others say Italy and other European nations should focus on improving conditions in key African and Middle Eastern countries so that staying home is a more attractive option. Working to end the civil war in Libya, for example, or provide more stability and aid in other regions. But that is a long and costly process.

Stefania Panebianco, a political scientist at Rome's LUISS University focusing on migration and security issues, said a key part of the strategy could be to focus on the smugglers, who charge migrants as much as 5,000 U.S. dollars to shepherd them from their home countries to Europe.

"They are a kind of mafia that is difficult to confront, Panebianco told Xinhua. "They make too much money from these refugees. They have no desire to see the problems solved."

European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Federica Mogherini, said that whatever strategy is taken, it is clear that depending on a single country, in this case Italy, to confront the problem is no longer realistic.

"We have a political and moral obligation to exercise our role and act together as Europeans," Mogherini told reporters. "The EU was created on the idea of the protection of human rights, human dignity, and human life. We have to be consistent with that idea," she said. Endit