The vice-president of the European Commission has proposed a two-pronged approach to tackling the problem of irregular immigration, particularly in the Medi- terranean, the commission said yesterday.
Mr Frattini called for greater cooperation in the region and the possibility of financially supporting those EU member states most affected by the influx of irregular immigrants.
This proposal would be of particular benefit to Malta.
He was speaking during bilateral talks under way between the respective foreign and home affairs ministers of Malta and Italy yesterday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg are in Rome for bilateral talks on a number of common issues with their Italian counterparts, Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini and Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu.
The commission vice-president is on a tour of those countries directly affected by irregular immigration, the commission statement added. His next stops will be Madrid, Paris, Athens and Nicosia.
Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, Mr Frattini called for a political response on a European level to tackle the growing problem of illegal immigration and insisted it was high time that everyone translated their words into concrete action.
The commission vice-president pledged that a comprehensive package on immigration would be presented at the next meeting of the Justice and Internal Affairs Ministers Council on 1 and 2 December.
This package, Mr Frattini explained, would have a global approach to the problem and “offer concrete measures to resolve the problem”.
In addition to studying the possibility of financially supporting those EU states most affected by irregular immigration, namely Malta and Italy, he also called for better and more effective cooperation between the EU’s Mediterranean member states, and for them to authorise joint maritime controls in collaboration with Frontex – the EU’s border control agency.
Mr Frattini also proposed that the EU’s partnerships with those countries of origin be reinforced.
In this context, he cited the necessity for closer collaboration with Morocco and for establishing effective relations with Algeria. He also said that it was vital to conclude an EU-Libya action plan to fight irregular immigration and to coordinate rescue at sea operations before the year’s end.
The commission’s vice-president also suggested the setting up of a Mediterranean task force on irregular immigration with a view to strengthening operational cooperation and implementing a more structured approach to the problem.
If the group of 5+5 countries – which includes Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya and EU member states France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Malta – are in agreement, Mr Frattini said, the group could serve as the foundation for such a structure. The European Commission, Europol and Frontex would also have a role to play.
Double consular arrangement signed
Malta and Italy also signed a double consular arrangement yesterday, in which Dr Frendo and Mr Fini agreed that in countries where Malta does not have an embassy or consulate, the Italian embassy or consulate would take on the responsibility of issuing visas for Malta.
The granting of visas on behalf of the government of Malta in such instances, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson told The Malta Independent, would only be undertaken after consultation with the Maltese authorities.