The Opposition this morning hoped that an agreement on irregular migration would be reached in the next European summit.

In a message on the occasion of World Refugee Day, spokesman Francis Zammit Dimech said that on this occasion, one should consider the hardship suffered by millions of people who had to flee their countries, putting their lives in danger to seek protection elsewhere.

The Mediterranean, Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said had become a cemetery for thousands of people who risked their lives in a desperate attempt to start a new life in another country.

Malta, within its limitations, offered the shelter it could along the years in a spirit of genuine solidarity with all those who found themselves in a difficult situation.

Dr Zammit Dimech thanked all who worked in the sector including the Armed Forces of Malta, the police, paramedics, medics, voluntary organisations and many others.

Their actions, he said, were a clear manifestation of solidarity in action.

One hoped, he said, that in the coming days the European Union would acknowledge that migration was not a problem of just those countries which the migrants ended in for shelter and assistance, but of the whole Union and accept that responsibility should be shared. This had to be done through concrete action.

He hoped that the government, while safeguarding the national interest, would indicate Malta’s particular difficulties, not least because of its size, and work for an agreement to be reached in the next summit.