"The EU and the UK are far stronger together," stated Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto Louis Grech.
He pledged that the Member States will do their outmost to ensure an equitable and acceptable solution on the UK's proposals for a new settlement between it and the EU, but insisted that this must provide a level playing field for all.
The Deputy Prime Minister was speaking at a meeting of the General Affairs Council, held yesterday in Brussels, where EU ministers were finalising preparations for the meeting of Heads of State and Government on the U.K. package to be held later this week.
Grech expressed the view that there should be a fine balancing act between flexibility, which could not be so loose as to threaten the existence of a real Union, and rigidity, which would undermine and erode the European Project. He emphasised that, "it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is no specific solution that answers all disparate needs and wants."
Ministers also discussed the state of play regarding progress in addressing the large numbers of migrants arriving in Europe. The Deputy Prime Minister reiterated that the implementation of agreed measures, including those with Turkey and at the Valletta Summit, remains far too low. He called for a genuine commitment to real action, stressing that the credibility gap with citizens is becoming wider.
Grech told the meeting that it is essential that real progress is registered on the ground. "We should hammer the point that implementation is key and remains critical for the preservation of Schengen and the fundamental right of free movement," he added.
During the discussion on migration, Ministers reiterated the need for a political solution in Syria. The power vacuum in Libya also poses serious migration and security implications. Prolonged conflict, together with its humanitarian consequences, is a primary cause of vulnerability and the forced displacements to neighbouring countries and to Europe.
Photo (MEAIM) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto Louis Grech with Slovakia State Secretary Ivan Korcok in charge of Slovakian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Ministry of Foreign & European Affairs of Slovakia