VALLETTA, Malta: The leaders of nine Mediterranean and southern European countries, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, meet on Friday in Malta for talks set to focus on migration.
The summit comes a day after the UN refugee organization said more than 2,500 migrants had either perished or disappeared attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year — substantially more than at the same point in 2022.
Simultaneously, EU interior ministers made progress on Thursday regarding new regulations for handling asylum seekers and irregular migrants within the bloc, with a consensus anticipated in the coming days. The urgency to reach an agreement heightened after a surge in migrants landing on the small Italian island of Lampedusa earlier in the month. Meloni’s hard-right coalition government, elected on an anti-migrant platform, has been at odds with France and Germany, pushing for a fairer distribution of the burden among EU countries. Lampedusa has already received over 133,000 arrivals this year.
Despite earlier tensions, Meloni and Macron have attempted to ease relations in recent days, culminating in a meeting in Rome on Tuesday. A French presidential source emphasized a “shared vision” between France and Italy on managing migration.
The “Med9” summit aims to convey a strong message that migration necessitates a European-level response, according to Paris. The EU is on the verge of approving a revamped Pact on Migration and Asylum, aiming to alleviate the strain on frontline nations like Italy and Greece by redistributing some arrivals to other EU states. Countries opposed to hosting asylum-seekers, including Poland and Hungary, would be required to financially contribute.
Disagreements within the 27-nation bloc seem to have been largely resolved, as indicated by EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson. A formal agreement is anticipated within a few days.
Both Meloni and Macron are advocating for collaboration with Tunisia to deter boats from North Africa, despite concerns about human rights standards. The European Commission plans to allocate funds to Tunisia, a key departure point for migrant boats, to strengthen its coast guard and combat trafficking.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi met with counterparts from Tunisia and Libya in Sicily on Thursday to discuss measures to prevent the departure of boats. Rome and Paris also seek to enhance EU maritime controls.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, present at the Malta summit, included the potential expansion of naval missions in the Mediterranean in a 10-point action plan earlier in the month in Lampedusa.
There are apprehensions that the number of arrivals may escalate if instability in the Sahel impacts North African countries.
The “Med 9” summit, comprising Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, is expected to advocate for increased EU investment in the Southern Neighbourhood. Additional funding may be allocated for countries along the southern shore of the Mediterranean as part of the EU’s long-term budget review for 2021-2027. Leaders will also address regional challenges stemming from natural disasters, including a devastating earthquake in Morocco, a flood disaster in Libya, and extreme weather events in Southern Europe.
