an emergency eu summit yesterday agreed to lay the groundwork for military action against traffickers after the deaths of some 1,700 refugees in the last week alone .
within days , british warship hms bulwark and the german supply ship berlin are expected to be sent to the region in the mediterranean .
italian prime minister matteo renzi , whose country has been faced with almost daily tragedy as rescuers pluck bodies from the sea , called the eu measures ` a giant step forward .