Interior ministers from Italy, Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Poland met here on Friday to discuss measures by which to boost the fight against illegal immigration, terrorism and organized crime, Xinhua reported.
The so-called Group of Six (G6) summit, hosted by Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni at the Palace Estense, is informal in that no official document will be issued at the end of the 2-day meeting, closing on Saturday.
However, it stands as a strategic and crucial"brainstorming" opportunity to exchange views on hot global issues. The importance of the meeting is proved by the presence as well of the United States and the European Union (EU).
The goal of the summit, Maroni explained at an opening press conference, was to find shared solutions to strengthen the EU's approach in tackling crime, especially illicitly acquired assets, illegal immigrations and terrorism.
"I hope that at the end of the summit we will produce concrete proposals to forward to the EU authorities in a bid to enhance cooperation and a multilateral approach in ensuring a tougher security framework," said Maroni.
The Italian minister stressed his country's central role in promoting law enforcement against illegal immigrants and Mafia clans, saying Italy represented a model for the entire EU.
At the same time, however, Maroni made it clear that Italy and other Mediterranean countries could not bear alone the burden of tackling the arrival of "boat people" coming from the African shores, who after land on Italian or Spanish coasts and then spread to other EU states.
The responsibilities, he said, were common because illegal immigration is a problem that touches all of Europe.
Italy currently holds the G6 presidency. The European interior ministers involved in the summit are France's Brice Hortefux, Britain's Theresa May, Spain's Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, Germany's Thomas de Maiziere and Poland's Jerzy Miller.
EU and U.S. officials also attended the meeting. Representing the U.S. is Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder, while the EU delegation is headed by Cecilia Malmstrom, commissioner for Home Affairs.