7 Southern EU leaders meet in Madrid to discuss Brexit

From left to right, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, France's President Francois Hollande, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades, Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, pose for an official photo during the southern European Union countries summit at the El Pardo palace, outside Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 10, 2017. The leaders of France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus are attending their third informal summit after they met in Athens and Lisbon. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) (The Associated Press)

The leaders of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta are meeting to review negotiations regarding Britain's exit from the European Union.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is hosting Monday's half-day summit of southern Europe leaders at El Pardo palace on Madrid's outskirts.

The leaders were to issue a joint statement following talks over lunch.

A Spanish government statement said the main topic would be Brexit negotiations and the challenges these pose for the EU. It said the seven would also discuss immigration and terrorism.

It is the third Southern EU Countries Summit to be held following meetings in Athens last September and in Lisbon in January.