Med5: migration policies must be effective and sustainable

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 31 - Italy and the other so-called Med5 countries - Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Spain -believe that some of the proposals on migration put forward by the Swedish EU presidency go in the right direction but require further work in order to provide solutions that are effective and sustainable, diplomatic sources said after a meeting of EU ambassadors on the proposed new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Brussels on Wednesday.
    The five southern Mediterranean coastal states reportedly said that much still needs to be done to achieve a better balance between the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility on migrants and refugees seeking safety and a better life in the European Union.
    Wednesday's discussion reportedly focused on the proposal by Sweden to allocate national reception quotas for each member state and provide for a payment of 2,000 euros per migrant for countries that refuse to accept them under the solidarity mechanism.
    "There are points that still need to be discussed, but there is a clear desire on the part of the member states to reach a compromise and to continue the discussion," said European sources after the meeting.
    Presented by the European Commission in September 2020, the draft New Pact on Asylum and Migration has made slow progress amid state-centred policies and opposition to greater solidarity from the so-called Visegrad countries - Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic - although a recent sharp uptick in sea arrivals especially to Italy have put the issue back at the top of the EU agenda. (ANSA).