The EU has to do more on illegal migration by really and truly adopting the value of solidarity in this area, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.

Speaking during a conference on EU membership, he said that although achievements were made, more needed to be done and the work had to be focused so that what was agreed upon would start to be implemented.

Malta, he said, had managed to place illegal migration on the EU agenda and for the first time last October, the EU accepted immigration as a European problem.

But more had to be done.

Dr Gonzi said that in its five years of EU membership, the Maltese economy generated more than 8,000 new jobs thanks to private sector investment. In the past five years Malta Enterprise approved nearly 300 new investments.

The Maltese market now had half a billion people instead of half a million making the country more attractive to foreign investors.

Malta was a net beneficiary of EU funds and had the highest absorption rate between 2004 and 2006.

New investment was carried out and new assistance and incentive schemes were launched.

Malta’s membership in the euro zone was an essential element to the country’s economic strategy and one of the benefits of membership. This currency offered the country more stability and reduced costs for investors. It also helped Malta face the international crisis.

With EU help, the country was investing so that once this crisis was over, it would be on the forefront to grab opportunities.

The EU had also helped the country develop socially. Different funds had provided a number of opportunities and 11,000 people took part in courses and training financed by the EU. University students had the opportunity to follow part of their course at European universities and more then 3,000 young people took part in educational programmes. A lot of investment had also been undertaken at MCAST, the university and the Institute of Tourism Studies, through EU assistance.

EU funds also helped Malta improve its environment. The Maghtab and Qortin dumps were closed down and their rehabilitation process had now started. Waste was now being seen as an important resource and investment was being undertaken in recycling facilities and clean energy generation.

Politically, the EU strengthened Malta’s voice even though it was the smallest member state.

Malta, Dr Gonzi said, had acquired more than €1.2 billion to spend on projects and initiatives between 2007 and 2013.