The European Union has agreed to extend Operation Sophia off the Libyan coast for three coming months.

Italy agreed on the extension saying it is technical and has no political intentions after many Italian officials, especially those linked to the party of the current Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, had asked for changes to be made at the operation.

Operation Sophia has been stalled for weeks as calls in Italy, especially by Salvini, urged for changing its mission duties, however; extension has been agreed upon by all including Italy.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been pressured by the EU on Thursday and Friday summit in Brussels and then he announced that Italy is with the extension of the operation to limit the flow of illegal migrants to Italian ports if rescue operations continued in the sea.

Extension is at stake as many EU countries find a need for a change in the nature of the Operation Sophia, while some call for terminating it.

In the meantime, the EU also extended EUBAM mission that oversees the borders in Libya for 18 months to come, allowing it a budget of 18 million euros.