The European Union cannot continue to leave Italy and Malta on their own in tackling the migration issue, Prime Minister Robert Abela said. The crisis cannot continue to be tackled boat by boat.

Abela, who was addressing a press conference after a meeting of heads of government of seven Mediterranean countries in Corsica, said the pressure of migration has continued to increase by frontliners like Malta and Italy have been left on their own.

The EU is not giving enough importance to the issue and, while acknowledging that some countries have offered assistance, there have been various instances in which migrants have been left stranded because of lack of agreement.

The EU has made commitments on migrations, but when it comes to the implementation stage, in particular in the fight against gangs involved in human trafficking, little is done, Abela said.

There needs to be more cooperation with Libya and other countries in Africa not only to ensure more security but also to have more peace, economic development and prosperity in the region.

He said Malta looked closely at developments in Libya and was serving as a bridge of communication between the factions. It is important the economy in Libya starts rolling too, he added.

The press conference was also addressed by the heads of government on France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Portugal.