Since 2002 almost 8,000 irregular immigrants have landed in Malta, which is the equivalent in almost five years of 800,000 in Spain, 1.1 million in Italy, 1.2 million in the United Kingdom and France, and 1.7 million in Germany, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.

“These figures illustrate starkly the formidable challenges facing us. The unparalleled density of Malta’s population, its small size, its hitherto homogenous national make-up and, unlike most of our European partners, its inexperience of a multi-cultural or a multi-racial society, add a special dimension to the problem which requires the most careful handling”, he added.

Speaking during the conference on the Pilot initiative to foster assisted voluntary return in Malta, organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Dr Borg said that time and care are needed to absorb this situation in a sensible manner and adjust to it. These factors of small size, density of population, limited resources, a lack of hinterland and inexperience of a multi-cultural or multi-racial society all fundamentally influence how the government deals with the massive influx of irregular immigrants that have reached our shores these last four or five years and the magnitude of the problems facing us.

The government’s policy is driven by five over-riding objectives, Dr Borg explained. First, to ensure that the ultimate national interest is safeguarded, including enhanced security measures and border control. Second, that there is fair, just and humane treatment of irregular immigrants. Third, that standard procedures and practices are established for dealing with asylum seekers. Fourth, that we encourage the social inclusion of asylum seekers and the subsequent integration of those eligible for refugee status. Fifth, that the orderly removal of irregular immigrants who are ineligible for refugee or protected humanitarian status is implemented expeditiously, effectively and in a humane manner.

It is for this reason that the government welcomed the initiative taken by the IOM to pilot this imaginative project on assisted voluntary return and to discuss with Malta the important lessons learnt during the course of the conference, said Dr Borg.

This initiative underlines Malta’s firm belief that a coordinated and unified approach should be adopted internationally that addresses the countries of origin from which irregular immigrants depart, the countries of transit through which they pass and their destination countries.

The voluntary return programme should be seen as one of a number of different options available to us for mitigating the problems of irregular immigration. Those not having the right to stay here will be given the opportunity to take up the possibility of voluntary return to their country of origin – safely and in a dignified manner – with the unconditional aim of giving them a new opportunity to start afresh in their home-land in a humane manner and with full respect for their human rights and self-respect. This is repatriation with a human face.

Voluntary return programmes should thus become an integral part of effective migration management alongside strong border management, timely and fair asylum processes and the protection of those deserving of it, said Dr Borg.

The voluntary return programme should be seen in the context of a host of other initiatives, such as the EU Programme on Migration and Development in Africa, and greater burden-sharing and resettlement initiatives. While still at its inception stage – and Malta recognises that experience in other countries points to a long process in establishing such programmes – the voluntary return programme is a noble endeavour that deserves to succeed, he concluded.