A British exit from the European Union would mean disaster both for the Union and the United Kingdom, Italian secretary of state for European Affairs Sandro Gozi said.

Delivering the keynote address at a conference ‘From Rome, to Lisbon and Beyond: The Old Continent, Young People and the Future of the European Project’ in Valletta, Mr Gozi spoke on the forthcoming referendum in the UK in 2017 on whether or not the country should remain an EU member.

The conference, a joint initiative between Malta and Italy to relaunch the debate on the future of the EU, was organised by MEUSAC in conjunction with the European Affairs Ministry.

Mr Gozi also condemned the “terrible” terrorist attack in Istanbul yesterday and said “we must stand up against ISIS, these are barbaric acts”. He urged Europe to foster cooperation against terrorism.

Referring to Schengen, Mr Gozi described the arrangement as being “shaky and under strain” adding that “the suspension of Schengen can be perceived as a good thing but we need to strengthen our cooperation to tackle the situation of our external borders.

“We are only safe if we fight against the illegal trafficking of migrants; we need to work on border control,” he said.