EU defense ministers have discussed a military operation to stop human traffickers behind the flow of migrants from North Africa.
Ministers from France, Germany, Poland and Spain met on Sunday, just a day before a special UN Security Council meeting on the bloc's plans to stem the influx of migrants.
The EU is looking to the Security Council to endorse a plan which would authorize the military seizure of migrant-smuggling boats in the Mediterranean or onshore in Libya.
The plan would begin by gathering intelligence on the smuggling boats. The EU could then use ships and planes to intercept the boats at sea before they are used to carry migrants. Nearly 1,800 people have died in Mediterranean boat accidents this year.