Leaders of European Union’s Mediterranean nations huddle in Malta to discuss migration

By KEVIN SCHEMBRI
Associated Press

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — The leaders of nine southern European Union countries are meeting in Malta on Friday to discuss common challenges such as migration. The nations represented at Friday’s iuddle included host Malta, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. With the exceptions of Slovenia and Croatia, which were added to the “Med Group” in 2021, the countries all rim the Mediterranean Sea. Top EU officials were invited to the closed-door meeting. The leaders of the EU’s 27 nations have an informal European Council meeting scheduled for next week in Spain. The huddle’s main aim is to help develop consensus among the members on major issues. However, unity among EU members on migration has been elusive.