Eight EU countries agree to 'solidarity mechanism' to resolve migrant crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed progress on the migrant issue after an eighth EU country joined a deal to resettle refugees rescued in the Mediterranean. As meetings took place in Paris on Monday, a French charity obtained a new ship to resume search and rescue operations.

Macron said 14 EU states had approved the plan to establish a more efficient system of redistributing rescued people, with eight saying they would actively take part. They are France, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Lithuania, Croatia and Ireland.

Italy, which bears the brunt of the EU's migrant influx, has snubbed the talks. 

Monday's tentative agreement in Paris follows the initial proposal put forward last week by France and Germany in Helsinki. The 14 states aim to reach a final agreement in September in Malta.

France said it was confident the “solidarity mechanism” would succeed.

"The haggling about emergency rescue in the Mediterranean must finally end," said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Paris. "It is really necessary that we manage to put together a coalition of those who are prepared to help, and I think we came a step closer to that today."

Italy 'does not take orders'
Italy's populist Interior minister, Matteo Salvini, tweeted his strong disagreement with the talks and allowing France and Germany determine the bloc's policy while nations like Italy are on the front line.

"Italy does not take orders and is not a partner," he said "If Macron wants to discuss migrants, come to Rome."

The meeting of ministers, called by Macron, preceded talks later Monday between the French president and the UN chiefs for refugees and migration.

France has stressed the need for European countries to share the arriving migrants, who are often travelling on traffickers' flimsy boats and rescued by humanitarian groups.

New migrant rescue ship
SOS Mediterranee, a European charity, partnering with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), announced it has returned to the sea with a new boat to save migrants, seven months after the flag was pulled from its original ship, the Aquarius.

The Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking will be operational in August and is heading to the Mediterranean with a 31-member crew.

Salvini wasted no time in warning SOS Mediterranee that Italy would not bend on its policy of keeping rescue ships at bay.

He tweeted: "if someone is thinking about helping smugglers or breaking laws, be careful because we won't be standing still.”

Italy's populist government has refused to allow ships carrying people rescued at sea to dock while EU countries refuse to share the burden of the arrivals.

“Our presence at sea is to save lives – that's the bottom line,” said Sam Turner, MSF Head of Mission for Search and Rescue and Libya.

“These deaths and suffering of refugees and migrants are preventable, and as long as it continues, we refuse to sit idle.”