LONDON

The southern countries of the EU highlighted Friday the importance of accelerated efforts to address challenges posed by irregular migration.

"The challenge of irregular migration remains a sensitive and complex reality that requires a sustained and holistic European response, both in the short term and medium term," they said in a statement following the MED9 Summit in Malta.

MED9, also known as Med Group or Club Med, is a group of nine Mediterranean and southern EU member states.

Leaders from Croatia, France, Greece, Greek Cypriot, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy and Malta, and the secretary of state for European Affairs of Spain met in Valletta, for the 10th MED9 Summit.

The statement noted the need to "respond rapidly" to the recent challenge of the increasing number of arrivals through the Mediterranean Sea.

"We, therefore, call on the co-legislators to step up negotiations on the Pact on Migration and Asylum to reach an agreement in all files before the end of the current legislative term," it said.

The agreement "must provide" the necessary guarantee that the needs of frontline countries will be adequately met, according to the statement.

"In addition, we recall the need for a significant increase in the EU’s efforts on the external dimension front with a renewed approach to effectively reduce primary movements and prevent departures, improve the rate of returns of failed asylum seekers and other third country nationals who have no legal right to remain in the Union, address the root causes of irregular migration while respecting the protection of fundamental rights and international obligations," it said.

The statement stressed the need to speed up efforts to strengthen legal and operational aspects of external borders’ surveillance, to dismantle networks smuggling people and to disrupt the supply chain of criminal networks.

It noted that promoting safe, orderly and legal migration should continue at the same time.

"We therefore underline the need for more robust outreach to all our neighbours in the Mediterranean, to the African continent and to key countries of origin and transit, and for building comprehensive and strategic partnerships with these third countries based on mutual trust," it said, pointing out the need to work jointly on the external dimension of migration issue to achieve goals set in the Action Plans for the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and Western Balkans.

"In this context, we welcome the recent initiatives, such as the launching of the ‘Rome Process’ at the Conference on Development and Migration in Italy on July 23rd,” it said.

The next MED9 summit will take place in Greek Cypriot administration.