Leaders from Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain will be in Malta this Friday for the Southern EU Countries Summit to be hosted by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Known as the ‘EUMed7’, the seven EU countries formed the alliance in Brussels on 17 December 2013 to address issues of common interest in the Mediterranean region.

The initial summit took place on 9 September 2016 in Athens, when talks focused on coordinating action on relevant issues from economic growth to regional security.

Summits followed in Lisbon, Madrid and Rome, with the last held in Nicosia earlier this year, where discussions focused on major EU challenges, from climate change to migration and the Multi-annual Financial Framework. Prime Minister Muscat has attended all the summits.

This is the sixth summit, and the first to be held in Malta. Talks will continue on ongoing key issues, from migration to regional security, and also Brexit, the Eurozone, energy security, and social rights. A press conference will follow the discussions, before a leaders’ dinner.

The summit will be able to be followed on MaltaGov’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at #EUMed7Malta, including more information and updates in the run-up to the event.

 

Photo (OPM):

Photo: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat speaks at the first-ever Southern EU Countries Summit press conference, held in Athens, Greece.