Prime Minister Robert Abela highlighted the importance of cooperation on migration flows when he spoke at a summit meeting of EU and Western Balkan countries on Wednesday.
“The work between the European agencies and the Balkan countries should continue to lead to a reduction of irregular immigration to the European borders. What we have managed to do up until now in this realm is a testament to the results we can achieve if we work closely together,” Abela said in Brussels.
He said collaboration with the Balkan region was mutually beneficial for the EU, especially in the context of the current geopolitical instabilities due both to Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.
Collaboration with West Balkans countries needed to be strengthened immediately – even before those countries joined the EU.
“We have to speak with one voice in multilateral organisations – highlighting our values – in order to protect ourselves from shifts in the energy, food and economic security sectors,” Abela said.
He praised the willingness and commitment of the countries in that region that are working hard to integrate with EU standards as part of the accession process – stressing the importance of highlighting membership advantages to their respective citizens while contrasting disinformation from third countries.
Metsola: Europe must step up
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who addressed EU leaders on Thursday, said that while in 2024, Europe stood-up, “in 2025, we need to step-up if we are truly serious about asserting Europe’s place on the world stage. We have little other choice.”
If there was one thing that would define the continent in the coming years, “it is our capacity to remain united in purpose.”
In the presence of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Metsola said that as Russia’s war on Ukraine was nearing the start of its third year, Europe needed to intensify its efforts to move towards peace.
“But not just any peace – not some false version of peace peddled by Russia, but a true and lasting peace. Peace with dignity, peace with freedom, peace with justice.”
She said that the guiding principle was ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’.
On Europe’s broader neighbourhood, President Metsola called on EU leaders to step up presence and engagement. “Russian interference continues to destabilise Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkans. Our response must be decisive. Enlargement – and we discussed that at the Western Balkans Summit yesterday – is not just an aspiration, it is a geopolitical necessity. Delays only create space for others to undermine Europe’s influence and values, as well as our credibility in the world.”
