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ROME, July 6-- African and EU foreign ministers have agreed on a new scheme to manage migration, the Italian foreign ministry announced at the close of an Italy-chaired conference here on Thursday. Participants have agreed that the way forward is to provide legal alternatives for people who turn to human traffickers, to make it easier for people to return to their homelands, and to enhance border controls. The new scheme expected to go into effect in February 2018 includes measures to "assist migrants and refugees in transit countries" and to improve "existing channels of regular migration," according to the ministers' final declaration tweeted by the Italian foreign ministry. Under the new scheme, participating countries agreed to back UN refugee agency (UNHCR) "activities to ensure effective and safe access to asylum" and to "provide legal alternatives to onward movements -- including asylum seekers stranded in transit countries -- with the support of the international community." Measures also include speeding up voluntary returns, swiftly issuing travel documents to people stranded in transit countries in Africa, and giving them assistance in reintegrating into their homelands. The conference was attended by several African and EU foreign ministers. Also present were EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief William Lacy Swing, and the United Nations special representative for international migration Louise Arbour. | 
