The EU's single market should not be separated from social inclusion, the Archbishop urged the Maltese EU presidency, as he underlined the need for the bloc to act quickly to rescue the poor and the weak.

Malta's presidency of the EU Council should also provide the opportunity to give a strong impetus to revitalising faith in the European project, Mgr Charles Scicluna said. 

"We hope Malta will continue to consolidate and implement the values of human dignity, democracy, human rights, justice, solidarity and the rule of law cherished by the founding fathers of the European Union, in the areas of the six priorities adopted for its presidency: migration, security, the single market, social inclusion, neighbourhood policy and the maritime sector.”

The Archbishop was speaking during a meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at Auberge de Castille, in the presence of top European church dignitaries.

During the meeting, Mgr Scicluna presented the Prime Minister with a report through which the Catholic Church in Malta offered its reflections on Malta's presidency.

The Catholic Church and European Christian Churches urged the EU to return to the values of the EU founding fathers by solving common problems together building on their shared history, and to consider the European project as more than just a common market. 

All efforts should include family-friendly measures as the family is the heart of the “culture of life”.

The proposed reforms of the European Union's Common Asylum System, falls short in offering a fair, transparent and efficient asylum system based on high protection standards, Mgr Scicluna said. 

Responsibility sharing and the reform of the so-called Dublin Regulation are the two most important issues that have divided the EU and which exert most pressure on the Maltese presidency. The Dublin Regulation stipulates that migrates may only apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter.

The Maltese presidency also needs to urge all EU Member States to maintain the course towards achieving the post-2020 national climate action plans, Mgr Scicluna said.

The EU needs to maintain global leadership on climate change. Malta should also consider advancing an EGE proposal for an ‘ombudsperson’ structure to protect the interests of future generations.

Read the full report in the PDF below.