The European Union (EU) has announced plans to spend 62 billion euros tackling mass immigration from North Africa, with officials admitting that migrant flows have “not decreased in comparison with last year”.

In a paper from the European Commission, the EU speaks of setting up migration “compacts” with certain African countries in order to control the number of migrants making their way across the Mediterranean.

Euractiv reports that nations including Mali, Nigeria and Sudan will be put in charge of filtering migrants before they get anywhere near Europe. In return, the EU will give them 62 billion euros worth of aid and development programmes.

EU leaders hope that the deal will reduce the number of migrants entering the continent after record levels of migration last year saw millions cross into Europe from the Middle East and northern Africa, creating a humanitarian and social crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been widely criticised after effectively opening her country’s borders to the migrants, with critics arguing her decision encouraged many more to make the dangerous journey than would otherwise have been the case.

Germany alone saw well over a million new arrivals last year alone, an unprecedented number.

Breitbart London reported in March how a potential 800,000 migrants are now residing in Libya, with officials in the war-torn country threatening to “open the floodgates” unless the EU provided more money.

Colonel Mohamed Bourgiba, head of the Gweea detention centre, which holds hundreds of migrants, said: “The state is very weak and there is no money. Most of us here aren’t even getting paid.” If things do not improve, he said: “We will just stop working and open the floodgates. Because at the moment we are doing all of this for nothing.”

A Nigerian man involved in people smuggling also commented: “The Libyans are ready to give up. So is Europe ready to take these people? While there is poverty and war in Africa, there are going to be people who want to get on those boats.”