The eurozone debt crisis was discussed on the fringes of the 5+5 summit yesterday between the prime ministers of five Mediterranean EU states.

The leaders of Malta, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal met with EU Commission president José Manuel Barroso at Verdala Palace after the 5+5 working group ended.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the “overall situation in the EU” was discussed but gave no further details.

The day at Verdala started with a round table conference of the 5+5 that brings together the European and African states bordering the western Mediterranean.

Sources said the working group discussed a common declaration that would include a reference to the situation in Syria. The declaration is expected to be finalised today after a number of bilateral meetings between the different countries and another working group today.

Dr Gonzi later expressed satisfaction at what the summit had achieved so far after bilateral meetings with French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Addressing the media after a 10-minute meeting with Mr Hollande, the Prime Minister said the two spoke of the importance implementing decisions taken at EU level.

Mr Hollande said it was important to work towards stabilisation and growth within the EU but noted that the difficulty in getting back on track would remain as long as there was a debate on whether Spain required a bailout or not.

On security in the Mediterranean, he said the threat faced by one country affected all the rest.

In their bilateral meeting, Dr Gonzi and Mr Monti discussed issues of mutual interest including the interconnector project between Malta and Italy.

At a short media briefing after the meeting, Mr Monti said that an operational agreement signed between the Italian coastguard and the Armed Forces of Malta in July helped to improve the coordination of search and rescue operations.

“Saving life is a moral obligation,” he said, with reference to the immigration issue that is of interest to both countries.