Prime Minister Robert Abela welcomed an agreement among European leaders on how Europe would be represented in future talks on peace between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking after an informal summit in Dublin, he said Malta had consistently pressed for a peaceful solution since the conflict began.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland, known as the E5, would represent the EU in those discussions alongside European institutions.
Abela described the agreement as a sign of hope. He said it was still too early to predict the outcome of negotiations and that important work remained to define the mandate of the countries and individuals who would represent Europe. He said the aim was to reach a common position and that nearly five years of conflict had yielded little progress towards peace.
EU leaders discuss artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence was the main topic of the informal meeting. Leaders discussed what rapid advances in AI could mean for EU competitiveness and resilience with experts including Mistral AI chief executive Arthur Mensch and Geoffrey Hinton, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Abela said powerful AI models could only deliver their full value if people had the skills, confidence and support to use them. He said Malta’s national AI strategy, launched in 2019 and running to 2030, had already helped advance innovation but needed updating to reflect changes in technology, regulation and society.
He said the updated strategy would focus on helping people understand AI and ensuring strong regulation. According to Abela, 50,000 people have already completed a programme under the AI for Everyone initiative. He said the priority was to ensure that the opportunities created by new technology are open to everyone.
Photos: Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
