Leaders of nine southern European EU countries call on the Union in a joint statement to ensure that a new migration and asylum agreement is quickly put in place.
The statement, announced at the end of a one-day meeting in Valletta, Malta on Friday, underlined that the needs of frontline countries – such as Italy – which receive the vast majority of migrants from North Africa must be met in an “adequate manner”.
The demand from the nine countries is for the EU as a bloc to strengthen surveillance of Europe’s external borders to prevent the departure of migrant boats and intensify efforts to stop people-trafficking.
In addition to the host country Malta – and Italy – Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain took part in the meeting. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel also participated in the meeting.
In parallel with the Malta meeting, the German rescue group Sea-Watch released a video showing how a Libyan coastguard boat approaches a migrant boat, whereupon around 50 people fall into the water. According to Sea-Watch, the Coast Guard rammed the boat and then took people to another boat.
Last Thursday, the migration ministers of the EU countries gathered in Brussels to discuss the status of the much-talked-about asylum and migration pact. Several ministers then put forward the prospect that the pact would soon be hammered out.