NEWS | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

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Olive group calls for EU commitments on migration

The sixth informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Mediterranean Countries from the European Union yesterday took place in Taormina, Sicily.
The countries forming the so called “Olive Group” are Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Slovenia.
The aim of the meeting is to discuss in depth issues which are of particular interest to the countries of the Mediterranean of the European Union, also in view of the programme of the new Czech Presidency.
The Olive Group members yesterday agreed to strive towards the need for a coordinated approach in order to make the Mediterranean perspective more visible within the European Union`s policies and actions.
It also called on the need to get EU commitments translated into concrete results, and to set up burden-sharing and solidarity mechanisms among member states in immigration matters
The foreign ministers also called for the quick establishment of well functioning institutions within the Union for the Mediterranean and a steady implementation of the priority projects agreed to in Paris.
Malta acquired one of the five posts of deputy secretary-generals of the Union for the Mediterranean composed of 43 member states.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tonio Borg said Malta wanted a political agreement to secure the Mediterranean dimension stays on the Union’s political agenda. “We call on the coming holders of the Presidency in 2009 not to forget the Mediterranean. Europe has to speak with one voice and today there is a need to negotiate a European agreement with Libya.”
The meeting in Taormina was preceded by the one held in Brussels in July 2006, Athens in October 2006, Valletta in February 2007, Slovenia June 2007 and Cyprus in January 2008.
The next meeting will be hosted by Romania in the first half of 2009.

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