On Friday, as many know, the EU heads of government will meet for an informal Council in Malta.

This meeting comes at a crucial time for the EU: it is before the UK triggers Article 50 for Brexit and after President Trump’s inauguration and all its consequences.

These and other weighty issues will be on the minds of the heads of government as they meet in Malta. In some very short months, the whole world situation has changed and so far it does not seem to have changed for the better.

Britain is leaving the EU and it is cozying up to the US, It may even end up as subservient to the US. The EU is still searching for the adequate manner of responding to the UK Brexit. At the same time, the EU member states are searching for the adequate way of responding to the impetuous President Trump.

In its preparations for the Malta summit, the Maltese government has understandably tried to channel the discussions onto migration. It justifiably points out to the migration flows across the Mediterranean, especially now that the Balkan route seems to have been blocked. It wants the migration discussion to take pride of place on Friday.

Malta then wants the EU to take up Malta’s suggestion to pre-empt the migration flows with for instance an agreement such as that reached by the EU with Turkey. Maybe such an agreement could include repatriation agreement on asylum seekers who do not qualify as refugees.

Our understanding of what is going on in the EU at present shows there is little appetite for such a discussion. Maybe that is wrong. Maybe in future times we will come to rue lack of this discussion.  But the EU in general has other matters on its mind.

Usually, there would be a time set for such a discussion but the EU heads of government are known for not discussing what they do not have time or care to discuss.

Our concern at this point is that by insisting on holding this discussion, the Maltese government runs the risk of insisting on something that the other countries have no intention of really getting down to discuss it; something that they do not agree about, as witness their reluctance to share out refugees; let alone accepting to enter into negotiations with African states to offload some of the undesirable refugees in Europe.

We are not saying Europe is right to do so, but we would like to point out at an alternative: what about Malta sharing in the real discussions around the EU table, about Brexit and about Trump? That is where the real substantial discussions are taking place.

To be absolutely fair, we are not sure if we agree with the Maltese government’s stance on repatriation and we certainly disagree with what is happening to seven poor citizens of Mali who have been incarcerated prior to repatriation for months now in absolutely hideous conditions.

Such a policy, as it is being presented as an ideal one for the EU, does not do us honour.

By insisting on discussing immigration, the government is showing a very narrow state of mind and seems unable to open up to discuss the other, more important, European issues.