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14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 OCTOBER 2023 ANALYSIS Migration The Med9 leaders, in a joint declaration, called on co-leg- islators to agree on the EU's migration pact before the leg- islative term's end. Robert Abela stressed that irregular migration impacts all of Europe and that tackling this issue requires cooperation across the continent. He also insisted that the pact must en- sure the needs of border states are met. Italian Prime Minister Gior- gia Meloni echoed Abela's sentiments, emphasising the need for a structural solution to migration. She argued that individual countries cannot handle the migration challenge alone and called for a united approach to address the root causes of immigration. The summit itself comes hot off the heels of a council meet- ing between the EU's home affairs ministers to negotiate a compromise on the crisis reg- ulation of the EU's migration package. This regulation had been blocked by the German gov- ernment, but interior minis- ter Nancy Faeser eventually revealed that they will vote in favour of the deal. Now, Italy is the one dragging its feet on the migration reform. Meanwhile, French Presi- dent Emmanuel Macron ex- tended solidarity to southern countries affected by natural catastrophes, particularly Mo- rocco and Libya. He called for a united response by Europe and improved internal cooper- ation to combat illegal migra- tion. Two weeks ago, Lampedu- sa was overwhelmed as thou- sands of people arrived on its shores from Tunisia within the span of six days. Von der Leyen and Meloni visited a migration reception centre on the island and pledged support to the island, with von der Leyen in- sisting on a European solution to the migration challenge. However, France insisted that it will not take in any migrants from Lampedusa and decided to close its border with Italy by boosting border patrols and monitoring the Alps for any crossings. But in a television interview last Sunday, Macron said that France "cannot leave the Ital- ians alone", a comment that was welcomed by Meloni. Climate Change Leaders recognised the dis- proportionate impact of the climate crisis on the Mediter- ranean region. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasised the need for a bal- anced approach between mit- igation and adaptation meas- ures, highlighting the varying abilities of countries to protect themselves from natural disas- ters. The Mediterranean region has been particularly vulner- able to the impacts of climate change. The past months have seen heatwaves, wildfires and storms wreak havoc in the re- gion, prompting countries to rethink how the EU can step in to help with crisis relief. Indeed, Slovenian prime min- ister Robert Golob said that climate change must be tackled immediately, and financially. "We put lots of money in how to carry out the green tran- sition, but we're not putting enough money into financial relief after natural disasters." Mitsotakis had previous un- derlined the need to strengten the EU Solidarity Fund to bet- ter fight the ffects of the cli- mate crisis, an effort that was praised widely at the Med9 summit. Portughese prime minister Antonio Costa expressed sup- port with Mitsotakis on cli- mate change, while expressing solidarity with Slovenia and Greece, which were recently affected by storms and natural disasters. "We're in a place in the world where the consequences of climate change affect us, and we are very well aware of the importance of the green tran- sition. We have to act in a way that we can contribute to reach our goals, and those of the Par- is agreement, and reduce glob- al warming," he said. The mid-term budget The leaders discussed the im- portance of economic govern- ance, with Mitsotakis noting the need to avoid past mis- takes and allow member states to have their fiscal paths. This discussion included the revi- sion of the Multi-Annual Fi- nancial Framework (MFF) to address the challenges faced by the EU. The MFF is a long-term budget that sets the limits on the EU's annual general budg- ets. It outlines the EU's spend- ing priorities and allocates funding to various policy areas and programs for a specified period, typically seven years. The MFF is negotiated and adopted through a complex process involving EU institu- tions, particularly the Europe- an Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. This means that agreement on the MFF requires consensus among member states. The MFF review could prove a headache for the European Commission, which will have to finance increased spending against a backdrop of rising prices, higher borrowing costs, and a war in Ukraine. As it stands, the Commis- Migration, climate change and Europe's Key takeaways from the Med9 summit The Med9 summit, held in Malta last Friday, saw leaders from the EU's Mediterranean countries come together to discuss various critical issues. NICOLE MEILAK was there to follow the event, and these are the key takeaways and sticking points that emerged. Above: Robert Abela welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: James Bainchi / Mediatoday) Above right: The Med9 leaders gathered for a photo opportunity outside Castille (Photo: DOI) Right Prime Minister Robert Abela chairing the Med9 meeting (Photo: DOI)