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Informal European Council meeting to follow Valletta Summit in Malta

Xinhua, November 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

An informal meeting of the leaders of the European Union will be held right after the Valletta Summit is concluded, Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced on Wednesday.

This decision was taken after European Council President Donald Tusk issued a letter to EU leaders, inviting them to discuss the implementation of the measures decided so far, particularly with regards to stepping up cooperation with third countries, including Turkey, to stem flows of migrants and refugees.

Tusk said that after the council's meetings which were held in September and October, some positive results were noted. However, due to the ongoing inflows of migrants, some EU states were introducing different measures at internal Schengen borders, posing a risk of dismantling the Schengen agreements.

"If we are to avoid the worst we must speed up our actions. This is why I have decided to call an informal meeting of EU Heads of State or Government, to be held just after the Valletta Summit, on November 12 at 2.30pm," local media reported him to say.

Moreover, the meeting will also discuss the implementation of the decisions taken on relocation, setting up hotspots in Greece and Italy, as well as reinforcing reception capacities, and providing FRONTEX and EASO with the required additional expertise.

The meeting will also explore the possible measures which need to be taken in order to effectively reinforce control of external borders. Endit