Focusing on people smugglers, stabilising Libya and increasing aid to the transit countries are all part of a new plan aimed at trying to cut the numbers.
As officials talked, the coastguard was intercepting yet another boatload of desperate people off the coast of Libya.
The nearly 130 people were taken to a naval base before being moved to a detention centre in the nation's capital.
In Paris, the leaders of Europe's key continental powers and three African nations discussed how to combat trafficking and the numbers crossing the Sahara and the Mediterranean.
The situation has strained diplomatic relationships, with Italy accusing France and other European Union states of doing too little in sharing the burden of migrants and refugees.
Italy has also asked the EU Commission for more funding to help it handle the crisis.
French president Emmanuel Macron urged all those invited to cooperate.
"We all have to act together, from the countries of origin, to Europe, via what we call the transit countries, and of course, above all, Libya, in order to carry out effective action. And that's a challenge, not only for the European Union but also the African Union."
Libya, in North Africa, is a hotspot for the migrants and refugees, with thousands using the country as a departure point for their European journeys.
Libyan prime minister Fayez Al-Sarraj says he supports repatriating those who can be repatriated, calling them a "plague."
Many people are fleeing a combination of poor economic conditions, conflict and political instability in their homelands.
Chad president Idriss Deby Itno says most residents want more for their future.
"What is pushing young Africans to cross the desert at the cost of their lives? They have less chance to reach Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. It's poverty, unemployment, poor education. We must take into account all of these elements. These must be dealt with at the highest levels." (French ...)
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has promised to eliminate what he calls "the mafias of people trafficking" and improve border controls on land and sea.
All the leaders from Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Chad, Niger and Libya acknowledged more resources and supporting developing countries are key to slowing migration.
They also agreed to set up a mechanism to identify legitimate refugees escaping war and persecution, with the United Nations to register them in Chad and Niger.
That is seen as a way to avoid potential exploitation by the traffickers.
German chancellor Angela Merkel says the issue goes beyond immigration.
"At the core of it, it's all about fighting illegal migration and the structures of people smugglers. At the same time, it's about finding humanitarian answers and answers on the development partnership between Europe and the African countries."
More than 2,400 people have drowned while trying to cross the sea to reach Europe, many in overcrowded dinghies run by people smugglers.
