EU membership will boost Malta's role in Mediterranean

Foreign Minister Joe Borg said yesterday that with the impending enlargement of the European Union, Malta feels conscious of the need to further intensify its strong participation in the Mediterranean.

"It is this Mediterranean dimension that we wish to promote within Europe," he said at the 10th meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Porto, Portugal.

"Malta's Mediterranean commitment remains constant, embodied within this organisation through its Mediterranean Chapter of the Helsinki Final Act. "

He said Malta had played an active role in various Mediterranean initiatives designed to bring about increased stability and prosperity to this region. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership had been instrumental in this regard by bringing together various participants under the economic, political and cultural pillars.

However, political and military tensions in the Mediterranean, problems of poverty, demographic pressures and social and economic disequilibrium gave rise to a flurry of threats and challenges which needed urgent attention.

"Europe must act decisively on addressing sources of tension of common concern to its Mediterranean partners."

Dr Borg said illegal immigration was one such concern.

"Given that the tendency is for the flow of illegal immigrants to increase, the urgency of the need to find solutions to this problem is acute. We strongly feel the need for both the European Union and the OSCE to address this issue as a priority."