Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Carmelo Abela, has exchanged views with Igor Slobodník, Ambassador-at-Large for Migration during the forthcoming Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union and Personal Representative for the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. Ambassador Slobodník was in Malta on a two-day working visit to meet the relevant authorities involved in the migration portfolio.

The meeting, which was held at the Ministry in Valletta, focused on the substantial weight that the issue of migration will carry during both the Slovak and the Maltese presidencies, covering the period from the beginning of July 2016 till the end of June 2017. Both sides noted the importance of further collaboration and synchronisation between the three members of the current Presidency Trio: the Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta.

Minister Abela and Ambassador Slobodník pointed out that it was essential for the EU to tackle the irregular immigration phenomenon not only internally but also externally, stressing the importance of addressing the root causes in search of lasting solutions. They agreed that the issue is best tackled through a holistic approach on the EU level, rather than by individual countries, particularly those located at the Union’s external borders.

Minister Abela wished the Slovak Presidency every success. He said Malta was looking forward to closer collaboration between the two small EU countries, both of which will be holding the EU’s rotating Presidency for the first time since their accession in 2004.