Europe ought to secure its external borders with a common foreign policy backed up by “pooled military muscle”, PN leader Simon Busuttil said.

Addressing the annual New Year greetings with members of the diplomatic corps, Dr Busuttil said that a time when people in Europe are feeling unsafe, European leaders were expected to act.

“We will be judged by our ability to deliver a truly common foreign policy. If we act together we can get results in countries like Libya and Syria. If Europe was so ready to help the Libyans overturn Gaddafi, why is Europe finding it so difficult to help Libya rebuild its institutions?” he asked.

“By standing alone, we will simply render ourselves even more vulnerable,” Dr Busuttil added.

As he stressed the importance of Europe having its own coast guards, Dr Busuttil recalled how European’s internal borders had been brought down in return for reinforcement of its external borders.

He lamented that ISIS became a “household name” in 2015 and how this was “deeply disturbing”.

The PN leader warned that the EU would be dealt “a devastating blow” and “an existential crisis” were the United Kingdom to leave the bloc.

“The family of EU nations is caught between a rock and a hard place as people looked at the EU as unable to act as it was starved from the real powers it needed to truly act in areas of foreign affairs, security and migration,” he said.

Dr Busuttil said the PN was pleading to host the European People’s Party extraordinary congress next year on the occasion of Malta’s EU presidency. He added that European politicians needed to provide clear answers to people with regards to peace and security.