A multinational delegation from the European Network for Asylum Reception Organisations (ENARO) was in Malta recently on a two-day fact-finding mission to explore ways to extend technical cooperation in the field of the reception of asylum seekers.

Malta joined ENARO last month.

The seven members forming the delegation were from various European entities concerned with reception namely: Fedasil (Belgium), Hero (Norway), and the Danish Red Cross. Maarten Visser from the Central Organisation for Asylum Seekers (Netherlands) headed the delegation.

The representatives held talks with various officials from the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry and the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry during which Malta’s particular circumstances in relation to immigration were discussed and views exchanged with regards to reception practices across Europe.

The ENARO visit also linked up to an EU project financed under the ARGO programme and in this context builds on the work carried out locally by COA within the same framework. The project Intra-European Burden-sharing in the field of Asylum, is being run in partnership between the government of Malta and the Dutch government.

This project has enabled the upgrading of open and closed centres. Also as a result of this project 36 refugees were resettled in the Netherlands last year under an innovative burden-sharing arrangement now also being offered by other EU members states.