A summit between nine southern EU countries was held in Malta last week, and saw the issue of irregular migration as one of the focal points that was discussed.

In their joint declaration after their meeting, the leaders wrote that they “call on the co-legislators to step up negotiations on the Pact on Migration and Asylum to reach an agreement in all files before the end of the current legislative term. This agreement must provide the necessary assurances that the needs of frontline countries will be adequately met.” The new pact is currently being discussed within the EU institutions, but what the nine countries, who are collectively known as the MED9 have said, that the agreement must provide the necessary assurances that the needs of frontline states are met, is a call that must be heeded.

Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta are four member states who have been dealing with issue of irregular migration on the front lines. There has been criticism in the way that some of these countries have handled the situation, with allegations of pushbacks or ignoring calls for rescue having been made on a number of occasions. Such instances must be investigated. A ship in distress must be rescued. There are no ifs and buts, and international law is very clear on this matter.

But another issue that one must also address is that other member states need to do much, much more to help these nations.

People making the treacherous Mediterranean crossing are human beings, not some form of statistic. The Mediterranean must not continue to be a graveyard. Juan Fernando López Aguilar, an S&D MEP who is the Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, told The Malta Independent in an interview recently that migration is “not a threat or a menace,” and he is right. We must always remember that these are people just like us, fleeing their homes in the search for a better life. Some of those crossing the Mediterranean are legally deserving of protection, fleeing from war, persecution or danger. Others might not be eligible for protection and are considered to be economic migrants, but that does not mean that we should treat them disrespectfully. There is a returns policy in place to ensure that they are safely returned to their country of origin.

The MED9 also highlighted that work “to strengthen legal and operational aspects of external borders’ surveillance; to dismantle smuggling networks; to disrupt the supply chain of criminal networks; and to prevent departure of vessels that do not comply with international safety standards needs to be stepped up while simultaneously continuing to promote safe, orderly and legal migration.”

Europe has an ageing population problem, and so another way to help solve the situation could be to improve legal pathways to reaching Europe. That could be part of the solution to reducing the number of migrants who would resort to making the perilous sea journey.

The fight against human traffickers also needs to improve. So far, it does not seem to have been very successful. Surveillance could help, but more would need to be done. The MED9 countries also spoke about working with third countries. “The EU and the Member States need to work jointly on the external dimension of migration to achieve goals set in the Action Plans for the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and Western Balkans and to ensure their effective implementation. We therefore underline the need for more robust outreach to all our neighbours in the Mediterranean, to the African continent and to key countries of origin and transit, and for building comprehensive and strategic partnerships with these third countries based on mutual trust,” the MED9 said. Indeed Prime Minister Robert Abela, in a press statement following the summit, said: "The rate of return of failed asylum seekers has to be improved. It is vital that smuggling networks are dismantled. But ultimately the issue needs to be tackled at source. To help achieve that, we underline the need to urgently build more robust, comprehensive partnerships with all our partners in the southern Mediterranean."

There is a problem regarding a few third countries, however, that needs to be tackled. Aid groups and human rights organizations have denounced the EU's deal with Libya to finance the Libyan coast guard so it can increase patrols to bring migrants back to Libya. The U.N. has said abuses are rife at Libyan migrant detention camps for instance. If the EU is to work more with Libya, then it must do more to help ensure that it is a safe place for migrants. The EU must work to ensure that Libya improves conditions for migrants who are rescued around its shores.