LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain are requesting to all EU member states for a “permanent and mandatory solidarity” to address the migration issue and to share the burden in order to relieve the pressure from the frontline EU member states within the Mediterranean region.
The Home Affairs Ministers of the MED5 EU states met in Valletta on Saturday, and in a joint statement declared that the effective solidarity can be achieved thorugh intra-EU relocations and direct financial contributions. The MED5 states declared that the outcome of the Pact negotiations should reflect a fair balance between “solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility.” The summit was presided by the Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and attended by the Italian Home Affairs Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mirarchi, Spanish Migration Minister Fernando Grande Marklaska and Cypriot Permanent Secretary Costas Constantinou. Attending the MED5 summit was also the Swedish Home Affairs Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. Sweden is currently presiding over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. While agreeing on the importance of the repatriation of migrants, she described the migrants situation as “complex” while referring to the recent tragedy of migrants off the Calabrian coast. The summit also included the participation of the director of EU border Agency Frontex.
The MED5 top officials agreed that during the last two years there was an increase in irregular migration, and the joint declaration appealed for concrete actions in order to prevent the trafficking of irregular migrants and avoid the loss of life at sea and the abuse of migrants by smugglers.
The joint statement suggests that the preventive measures can include a partnership with countries of origin and transit, better coordination and cooperation with third countries, addressing the causes leading to migration, allocating the necessary funds to North African countries to support the fight against irregular migration and to reinforce European border protection and to identify more safe and legal routes to reduce irregular migration.
The joint statement also asks for more continuous support from Frontex with regard to both land and air surveillance and offering member states intelligence to fight migrant smuggling.
The declaration calls for a fair migration policy which can be achieved through repatriating asylum seekers who do not qualify for asylum.
– foto Department of Information Malta –
(ITALPRESS).
