Malta called for stronger partnerships between the European Union and the countries of the southern Mediterranean at the MED9 Conference in Trogir, Croatia, with Minister Chris Fearne stressing that the region’s prosperity and stability depend on closer cooperation across both shores.
He emphasised that the European countries of the Mediterranean represent only one shore of the region. “The Mediterranean is not a border. It is a shared region,” Minister Fearne said. To advance prosperity and stability across the Mediterranean, Europe must engage more closely with its southern neighbours and approach the region as a whole.
Such engagement, he stressed, must go beyond migration. Describing migration as a symptom of wider challenges, he underlined the need for more constructive relations with southern neighbours.
The meeting focused on the EU’s long-term budget and enlargement, including its security implications. Across both discussions, Minister Fearne emphasised the need for European decisions to deliver tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The MFF, he said, must make Europe safer, more competitive and more prosperous by strengthening Member States’ economies. He stressed that cohesion remained essential to ensuring that all countries participate in Europe’s economic development, while EU funding needed to be accessible to smaller Member States.
On enlargement, Minister Fearne reaffirmed Malta’s support, highlighting its contribution to prosperity and stability and its potential to strengthen the Mediterranean voice within the Union. He called for accession processes to move forward without unnecessary delays, with outstanding issues addressed before membership. He also underlined the importance of preserving unanimity in major political decisions, ensuring that common positions are reached through consensus and that the citizens of all Member States are represented.
Returning to the Mediterranean dimension, Minister Fearne highlighted the discussions taking place with the Commissioner for the Mediterranean as an opportunity to advance closer engagement across the region.
Malta’s position, he stressed, is that the Mediterranean should not be viewed as a border separating Europe from its southern neighbours, but as a shared region whose prosperity and stability depend on cooperation between both shores.
Photos: MFEA
