Bulgarian, Maltese presidents: EU must do more for countries facing migrant wave
The European Union should show more commitment to the problems of the countries through which there are migration flows and should provide more support, Bulgarian President Rossen Plevneliev and his Maltese counterpart Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said at a meeting in Sofia on April 5 2016.
The two presidents agreed that the EU should strengthen its support for overcoming the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa and encourage economic growth in the countries of origin of migrants, a statement by the Bulgarian President’s office said.
“In times of crisis it is important to prove that EU countries can unite and act together. This is the only way to restore confidence in a united Europe,” Plevneliev said.
He and Malta’s president agreed that the issue of migration flows should not divide Europe and be exploited by populist and xenophobic parties.
Dealing with migration pressures, promoting economic growth and the process of EU enlargement will be the focus of the upcoming EU presidencies of Malta and Bulgaria in 2017 and 2018 and the two countries will deepen their partnership in this regard, it was agreed at the meeting.
Plevneliev said that support for the European prospects of the Western Balkan countries is important for the stability of both South Eastern Europe and the EU, the statement said.
