Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has called on member states to provide support to the EU Border Agency, FRONTEX, in its preparation of joint patrolling in the central Mediterranean.
Speaking on an item on migration inserted in the General Affairs agenda by the Finnish presidency at the request of Malta, Dr Frendo said that most Maltese people feel alone and abandoned by the European Union on this matter.
He emphasised the urgency for the FRONTEX joint patrolling mission in the central Mediterranean – together with that in the Canaries – to take place this summer.
“This is an opportunity to show to the Maltese citizens, who are European citizens, that being united is more effective than being alone”, Dr Frendo said.
He pointed out the severity of Malta’s problem explaining that, on the basis of population density, the arrival of illegal immigrants in Malta, often on a daily basis, was equivalent to over 71,000 in Spain and 107,000 in France.
Dr Frendo said he appreciated that illegal immigration had a strong development dimension to it. “However, it also has a strong element of international criminality since international criminal organisations are behind the trafficking and smuggling of human beings.”
He said the issue needed to be addressed directly. “Throwing money at the problem of illegal immigration is not enough and will not make it go away,” he said.
However, he welcomed the convening of the Rabat Conference and said that this needs immediate follow-up by the Tripoli AU-EU Meeting covering all the migratory routes of Africa.
Dr Frendo called on the commission to extend its discussions on Article 13 of the Cotonou Agreement. This stipulates that countries of origin must take back illegal immigrants to the states of Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa.
“These discussions may be more difficult”, Dr Frendo said, “but they are needed nonetheless.” Expressions of strong support for the item raised and for Malta’s position were made by many member states including Spain, Italy, Greece, Estonia and Hungary.