BRUSSELS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- European Union leaders during their two-day summit meeting that concluded on Friday have reaffirmed its commitment to the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

The reformed CEAS needs to strike the right balance between responsibility and solidarity and that it needs to ensure resilience to future migration crises, according to a statement issued by the European Council.

It also said that effective control of external borders and the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement are key to stem and prevent illegal migration flows.

Loss of life and continuing migratory flows of primarily economic migrants on the Central Mediterranean route poses a structural challenge to the European Union (EU), the statement said.

To avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the EU and its member states have to step up coordination and delivery on all the elements contained in the Malta Declaration, the Partnership Framework and the Joint Valletta Action Plan, according to the statement.

Apart from this, training and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard is a key component of the EU approach and should be speeded up, it said, adding that cooperation with countries of origin and transit shall be reinforced and the disruption of the business models of human smugglers and traffickers remains a key objective.

During the summit, leaders also discussed the situation of irregular migrants in Libya and the Central Mediterranean route. The leaders agreed to work harder in the coming weeks to better coordinate the efforts and support Italy more. Enditem

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