The European Union will be taking a "fair and pragmatic" approach on the Brexit issue, European Union Affairs Minister Louis Grech said this afternoon.

He was speaking at the end of a General Affairs Council informal meeting held at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta.

His remarks were made hours after the UK Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling which said that the British Government could not trigger Article 50 of the EU Treaty  to end its membership, without the approval of the House of Commons.

Addressing a joint news conference with European Commission first vice-President Frans Timmermans, Mr Grech noted that the forthcoming informal EU summit to be held in Valletta on February 3, would be an important step to discuss the way forward on the future sustainability of the the bloc.

Asked if the Maltese presidency would be taking a harsh approach, Mr Grech said the way forward was to be "fair and pragmatic". 

Commenting on the outcome of the informal meeting, Mr Grech said that the two over-arching objectives of both the Maltese Presidency and the Commission were the "viability and sustainability" of the European project and the restoration of people's trust in the EU.

On his part, Mr Timmermans pointed out that it was the UK which would be requesting to leave the EU.

"We can only start talks once Article 50 is triggered. This is in their hands. The Supreme Court ruling implications are purely for the UK government to clarify," he said.

He remarked that Brussels would seek to get the best possible deal for the remaining 27 states, while trying to minimise the harm on both sides as much as possible.

Apart from Brexit, the informal ministerial meeting, led by Mr Grech on behalf of the Maltese Presidency, also touched on the issue of migration which is one of the Maltese priorities.

Mr Grech said that doing nothing was not an option but he acknowledged that there were diverging views on the after within the bloc. He said Malta's aim would be to find a shared solution to the problem to end this human tragedy.

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