The prime ministers of the four European Union countries on the front line for migration – Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta – on Wednesday sent a joint memorandum outlining their positions on the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact to the German chair of the EU Council, Angela Merkel, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von Leyen.

More specifically, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Malta's premier Robert Abela signed a joint memorandum addressed to the European Commission and the European Parliament with their positions on the European Commission's proposal for the new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The four prime ministers underlined that the rules must be clear, not only in terms of the responsibilities of the countries of first entry, but also in terms of the rules for solidarity between member states, so that responsibility is shared.

They also stressed that border control procedures should not lead to the creation of large closed centres, while stressing the external aspects of migration, both in terms of relations with the countries of the southern neighbourhood and in terms of an effective system of returns.