Italy moots EU-funded migrant corridors (6)

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 1 - Italy has mooted EU-funded migrant corridors in a 'non-paper' ahead of next week's extraordinary EU summit on migration, according to a draft ANSA has seen, which also calls for swift guidelines on NGO-run migrant rescue ships.
    "We call for the development of European humanitarian corridors, coordinated and financed by the European Commission, as a way to ensure safe and legal access to Europe for vulnerable people, while combating human trafficking", the document says.
    "We are also convinced that specific national schemes for the well-monitored granting of work permits or study visas could be extraordinarily effective in stimulating cooperation from third countries," it further reads.
    The special summit on migration is on February 9-10.
    The EU Council should call for a "rapid implementation" of the European Commission's initiative on the promotion of "closer cooperation" between states, even when it comes to operations "conducted by private vessels, such as merchant ships and NGOs, flying the flags of member states and associated countries", said the 'non-paper' circulated by Italy ahead of the extraordinary European Council.
    "Since most of these activities involve cross-border cooperation with countries other than the flag states of the ships, a general framework of agreed guidelines would facilitate cooperation," it reads. (ANSA).