Alternative energy and irregular migration were among the topics on which Malta and The Netherlands agreed to further their cooperation, at a bilateral meeting held on Sunday at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and Frans Timmermans, Dutch European Affairs Minister, discussed bilateral and multilateral relations between the two countries and how they can continue working together within the European Union.

On irregular migration, Minister Frendo thanked the Netherlands for their early support on this issue by accepting resettlement of refugees and raised the issue of UNHCR accepting that EU countries can deduct refugees or persons with humanitarian status currently in Malta from their committed quota. He also spoke about the Maltese proposal for burden-sharing. Both ministers also agreed on the importance of a European Common Asylum policy.

Alternative sources of energy and Europe’s commitment to have 20 per cent of its energy needs sourced from alternative energies were also discussed. Dr Frendo accepted Minister Timmermans invitation for Maltese energy experts to visit the Netherlands to explore how Malta could exploit developments there in the renewable energy field.