Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told the media in Brussels today that economic indicators in Europe were improving.

Dr Muscat, who is in Brussels for the first sitting of the European Council said that Malta had been doing well for the past years but there were countries which were only finding their ground now.

And if Malta had done well when other countries did not, it could only do better when the economies on which the county depended improved their situation.

Difficulties, he said, would continue to exist and there were decisions on which the EU had no control on, such as Brexit and the fluid situation this had brought with it.

The clock was ticking and the council was discussing how to protect the interests of European citizens, including the Maltese in the UK, as well as of the Britons who lived in the EU.

On immigration, the Prime Minister said that Malta’s declaration was already bearing fruit with Libyan coastguards receiving training. Without the declaration, the situation would have been much worse.

The major problem remained that there were still countries which did not want to accept migrants. The Maltese presidency managed to move some of them but one or two were still refusing to take on the responsibility because of ideology.

EU states were members full time, if there were funds to receive, they should be received and if there were funds to take, taken. But responsibilities also had to be shouldered, he insisted.