Verklaring Van Rompuy bij bezoek aan Malta (en)

Can I first of all say that I am happy to be back in beautiful Valletta. I should also like to thank Prime Minister Joseph Muscat for his invitation. It is my fourth visit to Malta as President of the European Council. My visit today is part of my annual working visits to all capitals of the 28 EU countries. During the talks with the Prime Minister today, the economic and social situation in Europe as well as energy and migration were high on the agenda.

As regards the economic and social situation, we are past the immediate crisis, in particular the existential threat to the euro, but we are still not where we want to be. To get there, we have to follow through on our comprehensive strategy based on four fundamentals.

First, we must continue to preserve financial stability. This is not only a task for the European Union institutions. Recent events show how a problem in one country can have a spill-over effect.

Second, we must continue to make our economies more resilient, through sound public finances and improved competitiveness.

Third, we need to take immediate measures for jobs and growth with an direct impact - not least to fight youth unemployment. At the European Council only two weeks ago, European leaders - amongst other decisions - agreed to scale up and speed up our Youth Employment Initiative, to a projected 8 billion euro or more, with most of the money concentrated already in the next two years.

And finally, as the fourth fundamental, we need to complete the architecture of our economic and monetary union. Not least by establishing a banking union.

The Prime Minister and I also discussed energy, which is of particular interest and concern to Malta. Europe increasingly depends on imported energy - like the extreme case of your country with full dependence. Our households suffer from high prices. And our industries find it hard to compete with foreign firms who pay less for their energy. This is why, in May, European leaders met in Brussels to agree on how to tackle these problems. This includes energy efficiency, investments in infrastructure, diversification of energy sources and completing the internal energy market by 2014. And we need to ensure that no country is left unconnected to the common gas and electricity networks by 2015. Malta will benefit from the implementation of all these decisions. Like Malta does for the electrical interconnection with Sicily.

Another issue of particular concern to Malta - and a politically sensitive question in most EU countries - is migration. The Prime Minister and I discussed this at length. I am fully aware of Malta's concerns. You receive by far the highest number of asylum requests proportionate to your population and you are often also the first point of entry. The EU is already showing solidarity. Financially, Malta is receiving more than 80 million euro of support in the current budget for 2007-2013. And there will also be strong financial support in the next seven years budget, 2014-2020. But of course money alone does not solve the problem. Beyond financial solidarity, the EU is also engaged in more structural and operational efforts like the European Asylum Support Office here in Valetta, the establishment of a Common European Asylum System, the European Border Surveillance System and hopefully soon a new regulation establishing rules for the surveillance of the external sea borders. So, there is progress to report. We have to deal with this problem in a humane and at the same time an effective way. And we have to address the root causes of migration such as poverty, conflict and trafficking - and we need more surveillance. This is a point that we also discussed in our brief meeting with the Libyan deputy Prime Minister. Again, I am convinced after these meetings that we have to do more on different fields and levels.

Before concluding allow me to say that visiting Malta - in the Mediterranean Sea only a few hundred kilometres from Libya and North Africa - brings to mind the courageous efforts of the populations of this region in their struggle for a democratic transformation of their societies. The difficulties and challenges with which they are confronted are indeed of great magnitude as recent developments in Egypt have shown. The European Union remains convinced that it is through real democracy and real inclusiveness that reconciliation and stability will be achieved.

Finally, let me thank Prime Minister Muscat again for his hospitality today and our constructive discussions on these important issues for the European citizens and the Maltese people. Grazzi hafna!