Malta to host MED5 ministerial meeting in Cottonera

Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment will host the upcoming MED5 Ministerial Meeting in Cottonera, Malta. The meeting will bring together the ministers responsible for interior, migration, and asylum from Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Spain. The European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, will also attend, together with a representative from Denmark, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This high-level gathering is part of the ongoing and strong cooperation between the Mediterranean front-line Member States facing common challenges in the area of ​​migration. Malta will continue to be an integral part of this group despite the significant reduction in irregular arrivals registered in recent years, achieved through the Government's sustained investment in the areas of prevention and returns. The meeting will focus on matters related to irregular migration, with a particular emphasis on the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum. Central to these discussions will be the establishment of the annual solidarity pool - an essential step towards creating a coherent, fair and resilient migration framework across the EU. Ministers will discuss measures to reinforce the external dimension of the EU's migration, acknowledging its central importance in addressing the challenges posed by irregular migration. Discussions will focus on the following elements:

• Preventing irregular arrivals through enhanced cooperation with countries of origin and transit;
• Increasing the rate of returns—voluntary where possible, enforced where necessary—for individuals who have no legal right to remain;
• Expanding and strengthening cooperation agreements with third countries;
• Supporting initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of irregular migration; and
• Jointly resolving to disrupt smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable individuals, fuel instability, and facilitate irregular migration towards the EU, while examining ways to enhance operational cooperation to dismantle such networks, including their activities in countries of origin and transit.

Minister Byron Camilleri stated that "Although Malta has successfully reduced irregular arrivals by 93% over the past five years, our country continues to play an active and responsible role within the European Union and within the MED5 group. It remains essential that we work together to reach consensus and drive concrete action to stop irregular migration, dismantle the criminal networks that profit from it, and ensure a fair and balanced migration policy." "We are committed to a system that returns irregular migrants who are not in need of international protection to their country of origin, while upholding our obligations and values. Malta is proud to host the ninth MED5 Ministerial meeting, following the successful summit held here in March 2023, and we look forward to contributing further to a stronger, more coherent European approach," concluded Minister Camilleri. Photos (DOI/MHSE)