A Maltese MEP has called for greater cooperation among European Member States to help address the ongoing migration issue in south Europe.

“I am from Malta, we are currently in Sicily and we have just spent two days in Lampedusa where we saw first hand, the realities faced by that island,” Cyrus Engerer said during the At Europe’s Doors conference.

“All of us who live in Europe’s southern islands know all too well that we have an obligation to save lives. Nevertheless the rest of the European Union has an obligation of solidarity by taking responsibility for both the challenges and opportunities of immigration,” he continued.

The conference was organised by Lampedusa MEP Pietro Bartolo, and included the participation of Spanish MEP Domenec Ruiz Deveza and Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten. It was held in Alcamo, Sicily.

He slammed member states that were closing their doors to migrants, saying:

“It is unacceptable that other European Member States are building walls while leaving countries like Malta and Italy to face the realities of migration alone.”

“The building of walls across Europe is resulting in the establishment of new routes for migrants,” he continued.

“Instead of building walls, the European Union needs to implement a common immigration policy that removes the onus of migration from front line Member States, gives dignity to people seeking asylum and reflects the demographics that currently exist across the European Union” said Engerer.