Rovinj: EU commissioners Dubravka €š¬…¡¬¦ uica and Magnus Brunner will meet interior ministers from nine Mediterranean EU countries in Rovinj, Croatia, on Monday, to discuss migration, external border management, and drug trafficking. The talks are taking place under the MED9 format - a group made up of Cyprus, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Slovenia - which was set up in 2013 to coordinate on Mediterranean issues, the European Commission said.
According to Emirates News Agency, ministers are expected to exchange views on measures to combat illegal migration and protect the EU's external border in the Mediterranean. Discussions will cover the implementation of the EU's Pact on Migration and Asylum, a package of rules on asylum and migration agreed by member states, including a 'Solidarity Pool' mechanism referenced by the Commission.
The agenda also includes the Commission's proposal for a 'Common European System for Returns', the EU framework for sending back people who do not have the right to stay, and closer cooperation with partner countries under the Pact for the Mediterranean's security and preparedness strand. Readmission cooperation and strengthened external border management, including plans linked to a revised Frontex mandate, will also be discussed. Frontex is the EU's border agency.
