‘Euro-Med summit not aimed at creating new EU bloc’ - Muscat

A summit of Mediterranean EU countries will not herald the start of a new bloc within the union, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted.

Speaking in Athens during the summit, Muscat agreed that Mediterranean countries should form a united front on the EU’s immigration policies ahead of the upcoming Eurogroup in Bratislava.

“Immigration is the biggest common challenge for the Mediterranean region, and the problem is once again rearing its head,” Muscat said. “Barring a few exceptions, the countries gathered here today are the only ones who have responded [to the refugee crisis], and we agreed on a number of points that we want to raise in Bratisalava.

“We don’t want to create a new bloc, but we must raise certain crucial points.”

The Athens summit – for the leaders of Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Cyprus – was called last month by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, aimed at establishing a common Southern European front on how to address the refugee crisis.

“The Maltese economy has almost nothing in common with the economies of the other countries here today,” Muscat said. “However, we share a common culture, geography and way of acting. Our message is not for there to be separate rules for Mediterranean countries, but there to be clear rules for the European Union.”