Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela today met with EU Security Chief Federica Mogherini and discussed preparations for Malta's EU Presidency next year.

Views were exchanged mostly related to the aspect of external action of the EU.

Mr Abela is currently in Brussels to participate in a Justice and Home Affairs Council that will be held tomorrow.

During the meeting, Home Affairs ministers will be discussing visa policy issues and will focus on the recent Commission proposal for the revision of the suspension mechanism which can be applied to all existing visa liberalisation agreements.

The council will exchange views on several migration-related issues, in particular the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement.

Ministers will receive an update of progress on the proposal for a European border guard, one of the main proposals from the European Commission to improve the management and control of external borders.

This would consist of a European border and coast guard agency (which would replace Frontex) and national authorities responsible for border management. The objective would be to ensure and implement, as a shared responsibility, the European integrated border management at the external borders.

At their February meeting, EU leaders called on the Council and the European Parliament to reach a political agreement on this proposal before July.

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