PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TOURISM Deputy Prime Minister Borg encourages EU to intensify enlargement efforts

EU ministers meet in Sicily on the 70^th anniversary of the Messina Conference

“In a world of shifting alliances and rising threats, EU enlargement is a strategic imperative. As a Union, we will intensify our efforts to ensure an effective completion of the enlargement process."

On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, joined fellow EU ministers in Taormina, Sicily, for a ministerial meeting hosted by Italy to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Messina Conference. This 1955 meeting had brought together the foreign ministers of six European nations, to establish deeper cooperation and integration among European states, leading to the founding of Euratom and the European Economic Community (EEC), which eventually became the European Union (EU).

Dr Borg stressed the need to continue building on the momentum of the enlargement process of recent years, which, for the first time in over a decade, is showing encouraging prospects of new members joining the EU.

“To our partners from candidate countries - your efforts, your reforms and your aspirations are seen and valued. You are part of the European family. However, enlargement is a two-way journey which requires commitment, trust and shared responsibility from both sides," he said, reminding that the upcoming EU Commission pre-enlargement policy reviews will provide member states with an opportunity to consider ways to enhance strategic autonomy, reduce dependencies and to prioritise challenges that may impact current and future EU citizens.

“We will do our utmost to lend our support in assisting our partners implement the necessary reforms and invest in their growth, because our fellow European citizens deserve it," the Maltese Deputy Prime Minister affirmed.

He also called for increased efforts towards the concept of gradual integration, allowing citizens to see and feel how EU membership can work for them in real terms, maximising buy-in for eventual EU accession.

Besides ministers from EU member states, Thursday's meeting also welcomed representatives of several partner countries, currently at different stages of their EU accession process, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine.