‘Europe has woken up to migration reality’ – Muscat

There has been a change in attitude among European leaders and people on the Mediterranean’s migration phenomenon, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

“Sadly, the Mediterranean Sea has become a cemetery for people whose only hope was to take their family to a safer, more prosperous part of the world,” Muscat said in a speech at Malta Day at the Milan Expo. “The images of funerals and tragic events suddenly made the immigration issue a real one. Europe and the world, woke up to a reality which Malta, Italy, Spain and Greece among others have experienced for years.

He added that an upcoming migration summit in Malta between EU and African countries can provide a “perfect setting” to hopefully provide longer-term solutions to the migration crisis.

The Prime Minister described Malta as an “island of sustainable economic growth”, quoting the European Commission forecast for its job creation and unemployment rate to out-perform other Eurozone countries.

 “The European Commission may be surprised at Malta’s success but we are not at all surprised,” Muscat said. “It is a question of working hard and smartly, and of not trying to live beyond your means. It is also a question of having a bold but feasible vision and of having the will and determination to go for it.”