VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will maintain its “fair but firm” migration policy as the EU moves toward implementing its new Migration and Asylum Pact, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said on Saturday at the close of the 9th MED5 ministerial meeting in Malta.

Camilleri, who chaired the talks among his counterparts from Italy, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus, said the five Mediterranean frontline states reinforced their shared view that Europe’s external borders and return systems must be strengthened for the pact to work.

“Today we have adopted a strategy that is fair but firm,” he said. “If someone does not have a legitimate claim to asylum, we are strict and we return them.”
He noted Malta’s significant increase in returns, rising from 2% to over 80% this year.

Camilleri said MED5 has matured into a coordinated bloc capable of shaping EU migration policy. “We go to the European Council as Mediterranean states with a clear and united voice,” he said.

The European Commission’s First Annual Migration Management Report confirmed that Greece, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus remain under substantial migratory pressure, though Malta is no longer listed.

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said frontline states remain the most exposed to irregular arrivals and stressed the need for effective EU solidarity, including better pre-departure training and legal pathways.

Greece’s Dimitris Kairidis highlighted his country’s recent law criminalising illegal stay, saying it has helped cut irregular entries by up to 50% in three months. “But border protection alone is not enough,” he cautioned.

Spain’s Fernando Grande-Marlaska said MED5 cooperation is essential to ensuring EU policy balances solidarity and responsibility.

Cyprus deputy minister Nicholas Ioannides urged that the pact be translated into “operational reality,” including stronger returns and cooperation with origin countries.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner acknowledged the pact’s imperfections but said it would help the EU “control who enters” once fully implemented by June 2026.

Camilleri closed the summit by reiterating Malta’s stance: “We want to help people who are truly in need. But when someone abuses the system, we must be firm.”
The MED5 now turns to the December Home Affairs Council for final migration-reform negotiations.

– photo DOI –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews