The Latest: EU chief pledges action on Libya migrant centers

Published September 18, 2017

The Latest on the "State of the European Union" address by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (all times local):

9:40 a.m.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says "Europe has got a collective responsibility" to help improve migrant detention conditions in Libya.

Juncker told EU lawmakers that the European Union must work closely with the UN's refugee agency to ensure that this "scandalous situation" does not continue.

The EU has been criticized over Libya policies aimed at stopping people from fleeing Africa for Italy by sea but which see many migrants trapped in dangerous and squalid centers in the conflict-torn country.

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9:30 a.m.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the European Union is "bouncing back" after a tough decade that's seen much of the 28-country mired in an economic crisis and Britain vote to leave.

In an annual "State of the European Union" address, Juncker told EU lawmakers Wednesday that "the wind is back in Europe's sails."

Juncker, whose Commission proposes EU legislation and polices the bloc's laws, said the EU is into its fifth year of economic recovery, with unemployment at a nine-year low.

He said "Europe can deliver for its citizens where and when it matters," even as nations remain divided over how best to manage the EU's refugee emergency.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/the-latest-eu-chief-pledges-action-on-libya-migrant-centers