The European Union's border and coastguard agency Frontex said on Wednesday it is launching a new operation in the Mediterranean help Italy handle the ongoing influx of boat migrants from North Africa.
Operation Themis will begin on Thursday and will replace the EU's Operation Triton, which was launched in 2014, Frontex said.
Themis will continue to include searches and rescues as "a crucial component" of the operation but will have "an enhanced law enforcement focus", Frontex stated.
The security component of Operation Themis will include intelligence gathering and other steps aimed at detecting foreign fighters and other terrorist threats at the EU's external borders, the agency said.
Its operational area will span migrant routes in the Central Mediterranean from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Turkey and Albania.
“Operation Themis will better reflect the changing patterns of migration, as well as cross border crime. Frontex will also assist Italy in tracking down criminal activities, such as drug smuggling across the Adriatic,” said Frontex executive director Fabrice Leggeri.
“We need to be better equipped to prevent criminal groups that try to enter the EU undetected. This is crucial for the internal security of the European Union,” Leggeri said.
Under the new operation, Frontex officers will continue to assist Italy's national authorities at so-called hotspots in registering migrants, including taking their fingerprints and confirming their nationalities, the agency stated.
Last year, Frontex assisted in the rescue of 38 000 people at sea in operations in Italy, Greece and Spain.
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