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EU repeats call for collective action to tackle migration crisis

BRUSSELS, Aug 27 (KUNA) -- The EU expressed its "shock" Thursday over news of 50 migrants found asphyxiated in the hull of a ship last night, and of 20 or more migrants discovered abandoned in a truck on an Austrian highway today.
"These are sinister, criminal acts, carried out by smugglers with no scruples whatsoever," said European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans and EU Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos in a joint statement.
"This is not an Austrian crisis. This is not an Italian, French, German or a Greek or a Hungarian crisis. This is a European crisis and it requires a collective European response," it stressed.
"Now is the moment for joint actions, and solidarity with all Member States and our partner countries in the region," it noted.
The two EU officials announced that they will be visiting several of the most affected EU Member States, starting from the French port of Calais on Monday and also Austria on September 7, to discuss further support and joint actions. (end) nk.hb