The last two days have represented a series of victories for Malta, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi remarked at the wrapping up of the summit of European Union leaders in Brussels yesterday afternoon.

Malta had its sixth European Parliament seat confirmed in the Lisbon Treaty signed on Thursday, while yesterday EU leaders addressed the topics of immigration and climate change – both fundamental issues for Malta.

Funding to the tune of e681,207 is also set to be provided, with the sum being matched by the government, by the EU through the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

The funds will assist 675 textile workers made redundant earlier this year.

Dr Gonzi observed how Malta has played a leading role on combating climate change at both United Nations and European Union level.

Climate change, he said, and the related issue of energy policy are crucial for Malta, being an island state and as such potentially susceptible to the effects of projected rising sea levels.

On immigration, Dr Gonzi pledged Malta would continue pushing the issue of migration solidarity at EU level. Such solidarity, he said, must be achieved through securing funding for the EU’s border control agency, Frontex, for Mediterranean patrols, in terms of resettling in other EU member states migrants with refugee and other types of humanitarian protection status residing in Malta, as well in cooperation on repatriating failed asylum seekers to their countries of origin.

The Prime Minister also stressed that the implementation of conclusions reached at last weekend’s EU-Africa Summit must be concentrated on in the best interests of Malta as well as other southern member states.

Dr Gonzi also commented that during bilateral meetings with Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates that the issue of migration solidarity would continue to remain at the fore of the EU agenda.

Following the signing of the Lisbon Treaty reforming the future workings of the EU, all countries will turn to ratifying the treaty, by 1 January 2009. Ireland, meanwhile, will take the treaty to a crucial referendum vote.

Malta will begin its own ratification process in the first half of 2008, Dr Gonzi confirmed yesterday. He added he does not foresee obstacles in the parliamentary ratification as the main issues contained in the Lisbon Treaty were addressed in the now defunct EU Constitution, which the treaty has replaced and which Malta was the only country to have ratified unanimously.

Dr Gonzi also urged all EU member states to set about the ratification process as soon as possible, in time for the June 2009 European Parliamentary elections.

Also under discussion yesterday was the Lisbon Agenda aimed at spurring economic growth and employment generation across the EU, both important issues for Malta as well as the whole of the EU.

The transformation of Malta’s manufacturing sector has been a boon for the country, having moved from low cost to high value added operations, and bringing with it great economic benefits.

Referring to Malta’s pending euro adoption, Dr Gonzi said 1 January represents a milestone for the country – not only in terms of changing over to a new currency but also in terms of the economic stability the changeover will bring.

In the first half of the year Malta saw impressive economic growth of 4.1 per cent, he said – an impressive result for Malta and one of the best in the EU.

This summit, Dr Gonzi added, has been one of the EU’s most historic, and also marks the final days of the Portuguese EU presidency, with Slovenia taking the helm come January.

Already tense relations between the EU and Serbia, which is seeking EU membership, have been strained over the Kosovo independence issue. EU leaders yesterday debated how Belgrade could be offered a fast-track to membership, but left the issue unresolved.

The issue, Dr Gonzi said, is extremely delicate, sensitive and is being treated with caution.

Only if Serbia meets the usual entry conditions of good governance and respect for human rights “can the (accession) negotiations be accelerated,” Portuguese Prime Minister and summit chairman Jose Socrates said yesterday.

There had been speculation the EU might offer Serbia faster entry to cushion the blow of possibly losing Kosovo, a scenario that is said to have brought an angry response from the Serb government.

EU leaders yesterday refrained from backing any unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence as long as there remained hope for a negotiated settlement.

EU leaders also named former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez to spearhead a French-inspired panel to debate the future direction of the bloc.

Former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Jorma Ollila, former chairman of the Finnish cell phone giant Nokia, were chosen as vice presidents of the group, which is to discuss “key issues and developments which the union is likely to face” in the years 2020-2030, according to an EU statement released at the end of yesterday’s summit.

The panel would not, however, be dealing with issues of enlargement as had been expected.

The panel will consist of up to nine members and the three appointed leaders are to present a full list by autumn 2008. It will deal with such issues as global security, migration, competitiveness, energy and climate protection, and the fight against international crime and terrorism.