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Theresa May will promise that UK efforts to tackle Europe's migrant crisis will continue after Brexit as she attempts to build alliances ahead of divorce talks with Brussels.

The Prime Minister will promise that the UK will remain a "reliable partner" and will use one-to-one talks with fellow leaders to insist she wants a "new, positive and constructive" relationship with the EU after Brexit, said Downing Street.

But she will also tell her counterparts that they must boost defence spending following her talks with Donald Trump on Washington's attitude towards Nato.

Mrs May is expected to use the gathering in Malta's capital Valletta to hold one-to-one talks with a series of EU leaders.

This will be her first chance to discuss Brexit face-to-face since she set out her plans and MPs began considering the Bill allowing her to trigger Article 50.

She is expected to underline her belief in a "strong" EU, arguing that it is in the interests of the UK and wider world for the bloc to succeed.

Legislation being fast-tracked through Parliament is aimed at giving Mrs May permission to begin the formal process of Brexit by the end of March.

The main focus of the leaders gathered in Valletta will be measures to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.

Downing Street said Mrs May, who was involved in efforts to address the problem as home secretary, will stress that it remains a big issue for her.

"During the discussions the Prime Minister will stress that migration has been one of her political priorities during her time in Government - and remains so," a spokesman said.

Mrs May will pledge her commitment to the "long-term" challenge both before Brexit and afterwards.

Her aims involve trying to prevent migrants heading to Europe in the first place by supporting refugees close to the homes they have been forced to flee and deterring economic migrants from attempting the dangerous crossing.

Mrs May's approach also involves returning those who arrive in Europe with no right to remain.

The Prime Minister, who last week became the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump since he entered the White House, will update European leaders on his views on Nato.

Mrs May said she had secured confirmation that Mr Trump was "100% behind Nato" as she appeared alongside the president in the White House.

Mr Trump's criticism of the alliance in the past has alarmed Europe, and some on the continent also have deep concerns about the controversial tycoon's policies.

But Mrs May will say Mr Trump's comments to her about Nato underline the importance of defence and security cooperation.

She will also deliver the message that Nato members need to step up their spending on defence.

The UK and US are among a handful of Nato members to meet the pledge of spending 2% of GDP on defence.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister will use the gathering to tell her counterparts they need to deliver on their commitments so the "burden is more fairly shared".

The Prime Minister is only expected to attend the first part of the summit in Malta, with leaders of the other 27 EU nations continuing their talks on Friday afternoon without her as they consider Brexit and the future of the bloc.

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Theresa May: UK will still help tackle Europe's migrant crisis after Brexit - East Lothian Courier

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The European Commission granted the extension to Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway - which are all members of the visa-free and borderless zone.

Under the arrangement European citizens can travel without a visa through the designated zone, which covers most of the Brussels bloc.

But the Schengen agreement was almost destroyed last year as countries began blocking their borders to stop illegal immigration.

Several countries were forced to install temporary migration controls at their borders after the migrant crisis hit to prevent an influx of thousands of undocumented refugees from entering towns and cities undetected.

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Now the passport-free zone faces a fresh dilema after the European Union commission confirmed an extension of border controls - despite hopes Schengen could be saved.

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: "Significant progress has been made to lift internal border controls, but we need to solidify it further.

This is why we recommend allowing the Member States concerned to maintain temporary border controls for a further three months."

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The commission stressed they had made moved to stabilise the situation, but the conditions needed to return to normal border procedures have not yet been met.

A report into the issue highlighted the significant numbers of migrants still in Greece - adding that the situation remains fragile on the Western Balkans route that connects Turkey to Europe.

The issue of new security challenges, as demonstrated by the recent terrorist attacks in a number of European countries, have also been taken into account into the recommendations.

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Significant progress has been made to lift internal border controls, but we need to solidify it further.

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans

But a document published in March 2016 earmarked last December as the target date for bringing to an end the exceptional safeguard measures taken - meaning the target was not met.

And suggestions the move was partly influenced by German elections, which are due to be held in September were rejected by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration.

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He said: Our decision is based on facts.

The Commission said that the migration crisis calming down, and the implementation of a series of measures to better manage the EUs external borders such as the launch of the European Border and Coast Guard last fall.

But it considers that the conditions of the Back to Schengen roadmap have not yet been entirely fulfilled.

Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizire, however, says the extension should run until the end of 2017 as the three-month limit 'does not go far enough'.

The Federal Government claimed it necessary to carry out checks at the internal borders "probably beyond mid-2017".

Such an extension is necessary "regarding the overall situation", while Federal Police also stated "a persistently high migration pressure on Europe".

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SCHENGEN OVER: Europe STOPS free movement to tackle migrant crisis - Express.co.uk

BBC News

Migrant crisis: Alarm over recent deaths at Lesbos camp BBC News Aid groups have raised alarm over the deaths of three migrants on Greece's Lesbos island inside a week. They said that poor conditions at an overcrowded camp in Moria presented a "serious risk" to at least 3,000 migrants living there. A man in his 20s ... Third Migrant Dies in Greece Within Week Due to Poor Conditions in Refugee CampSputnik International all 26 news articles »

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Migrant crisis: Alarm over recent deaths at Lesbos camp - BBC News

Deepening tensions between Turkey and the European Union in the wake of a Greek refusal to extradite several coup plotters to Turkey, run the risk of destabilizing the refugee agreement, claimed a report by international political risk consultancy Eurasia Group.

The report revealed that Turkey will continue to be the EU's most important partner in managing the flow of migrants and the most important interlocutor over refugees of Europe by hosting over some 3 million potential asylum seekers (including 2.7 million Syrians).

It also pointed to the success of the EU-Turkey refugee deal, to which German Chancellor Angela Merkel invested considerable political capital and identified it as the reason for the decline in migrants entering Europe.

Turkey and the EU signed the refugee deal in March, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea, by taking stricter measures against human traffickers. While Turkey respected the deal and cut down the refugee flow almost entirely from its coasts to the Greek islands, the EU failed to keep up its end of the deal to deliver aid to Syrian refugees and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

According to the report, however, deepening tensions between Turkey and the EU or Turkey and Greece in particular risk destabilizing the agreement. Relations between Turkey and Greece were recently strained after a top Greek court on Thursday refused to extradite eight pro-coup soldiers who fled to Greece after the July 15 coup attempt, which cost the lives 248 people and injured over 2,200 others, while leaving the Turkish Parliament bombed.

Turkish officials have harshly criticized the decision, claiming that it is highly political and disregarding of bilateral and international treaties and that Greece has disappointed Turkey once again by supporting terrorism.

Foreign Minister Mevlt avuolu on Friday said Turkey would take the necessary measures against Greece following the court's decision, including cancelling the readmission deal with Greece, which allowed the latter to return illegal migrants, who traveled through Turkey, back to Turkey to be processed before being sent back to their country of origin, reported Turkish state-run news outlet, TRT Haber.

The independent report also stated that in a situation, where Turkey can relax its efforts to halt migrants, to demonstrate the leverage it has over the EU to keep its promise, Greece is at risk of becoming overburdened.

The Turkish Coast Guard has reportedly apprehended over 37,000 migrants in the Aegean, and while this number combined with the number of migrants that have entered Greece is substantially below the record figures from 2015, even a gradual increase of several more tens of thousands of migrants in Greece could severely strain Greece's capacity to deal with migrants and begin to affect politics in the EU.

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Greece's refusal to return putschists may cause new migrant crisis - Daily Sabah

This graphic shows the ratio of our refugee population to our wealth in 2014 a year when the number of newly displaced hit a record high.

The West has historically thrown a lot of money at the problem of refugees. Problem is: it doesn't work.

One in five of the world's displaced come from Syria. Nearly two million have ended up in Turkey, like 10-year-old Afaf and baby Sufian.

At The Jungle in Calais, France, thousands of people seeking a new life stand in rags on the threshold of Britain. Daniel is one of them.

Around the world, 38 million are displaced within their own countries - they could be the refugees of tomorrow. From North Korea, Pak Sol-hwa risked everything to cross into China.

A record 34,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in 82 countries last year. Six-year-old Daniel made the journey to the US with two other children to escape a life of crime.

Australia resettled 11,600 people in 2014. But in our neighbourhood, thousands of genuine refugees remain in limbo. Khadim Dai is one.

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Migrant Crisis - SMH.com.au