Azzjoni Nazzjonali said it has, since its launch a year ago, openly expressed its concern at the huge number of irregular migrants coming from 25 African countries by taking advantage of the Dublin II Convention and setting foot in Malta, the most densely populated country in the EU

It added it had time and again called for the Maltese government to be strong and determined in its dealings with the EU and stand firm on the principle of solidarity to burden share this huge problem. “Azzjoni Nazzjonali therefore has great reservations concerning the immigration pact adopted on Thursday by the EU ministers,” it said.

According to reports by several international newspapers:

The pact is a document of political intent – not a binding law – that sets out principles for managing migration, fighting illegal immigration and forming partnerships with countries people leave, or travel through, to get to Europe.

The pact calls on member states to crack down on illegal immigration by measures such as expelling illegal entrants, paying them to leave voluntarily and signing return deals with their countries of origin.

The pact further calls on EU member states to strengthen their border controls, offering ‘solidarity’ to those frontier states which have particular problems, and to bring in biometric visas for all entrants by 2012.

It calls on member states to offer third-country nationals the chance to work in the country legally and to promote ‘temporary migration,’ encouraging the migrants not to stay for ever.

“All this shows that the ball is still in our court. Azzjoni Nazzjonali believes that the Maltese government has once again lost a golden opportunity to strike a better deal,” AN said.

It added: “France was eager to close its presidency successfully and Malta has failed to take advantage of this situation. By contenting itself with a declaration that may yet prove meaningless, Malta might well be left carrying the burden of illegal immigration, finding solace only in the pitifully small numbers that the government takes every opportunity to boast it has repatriated. How are we going to persuade the vast majority to leave? By giving them a e5,000 each to go back and open a business? And where will this money come from?

“And crucially, what is Malta to do until the good intentions of this pact start being translated into action? Carry on being swamped by illegal immigrants?”

AN said it would follow up the unfolding of the immigration pact in practice, hoping that it will not be another ‘Frontex’ that will encourage “greater numbers of illegal immigrants to head towards our shores, leaving us with no other option except to helplessly beg for voluntary acceptance of burden sharing”.

Azzjoni Nazzjonali went on to appeal to the people of these islands to press for strong action by the government “and to select for Members of the European Parliament, only those who are willing to publicly declare that once there, they will fight tooth and nail to ensure the survival of our nation as we have inherited it”.