VALLETTA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Maltese and Italian foreign ministers issued a joint statement on Sunday evening calling for a permanent EU mechanism to deal with migration.
The Foreign Ministers of Italy and Malta, Enzo Moavero and Carmelo Abela, confirmed their willingness to cooperate with each other on migration, adding that they asked for a specific agenda item to be added on the next EU Foreign Affairs Council's agenda.
"It is no longer permissible to proceed on a case by case basis, seeking solutions in emergencies, with growing political difficulties and very serious hardships," the Italian and Maltese ministers said, referring to the ad hoc agreements reached on various cases over the past year.
The joint statement came just before 65 migrants that were transferred onto an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) patrol boat were disembarked at Malta army's Hay Wharf base late Sunday evening.
The migrants were rescued by NGO vessel Alan Kurdi operated by German NGO Sea-Eye on Friday and transferred to an AFM vessel on Sunday following discussions with the European Commission and German authorities.
The foreign ministers referred to further complex situations involving ships with migrants on board, their entry into the territorial waters, docking and landing in Italian and Maltese ports.
In their joint statement, Malta and Italy said that while it is essential to ensure effective governance of migratory flows to Europe, it is no longer viable to operate on a case by case basis, saying that reform needs to go beyond addressing the Dublin regulation, a European Union law that defines which EU member state has the obligation to evaluate the asylum claims presented by people who arrive in Europe.
The Regulation was jointly adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council and came into force on July 20, 2013.
