The heads of seven southern European states gather in Rome today to tackle one of the most stubborn thorns in the EU's side : flows of migrants from war-torn and impoverished countries. <br/><br/>The leaders of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain will meet in the Italian capital for a short meeting at 7 pm (1800 GMT), followed by a joint press conference and a working dinner. <br/><br/>It will be the fourth meeting of the "Southern Seven" since Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras launched the initiative in September 2016. The group met twice last year, in Lisbon and Madrid. <br/><br/>Issues on the agenda are expected to include the future of the eurozone and efforts to propel growth, employment and investment, as well as preparation for the 2019 European Parliament elections.