During a sitting of the Italian parliament, the Maltese MP Arnold Cassola asked Minister Giulio Santagata the following question: “What does the Italian government intend to do in order to ensure that the European Union adopts a common policy on immigration, which translates into practice the idea of solidarity, through the active participation in search and rescue operations in the southern Mediterranean of all the 27 member states and involving the Libyan authorities as well, in these operations?”

Minister Santagata replied: “Dublin II places a hefty cost on the countries that constitute the EU’s southern border and Italy has been asking the EU to introduce mechanisms that would allow EU member states to share the costs of both search and rescue and asylum, for a number of years.

“A common European system for asylum seekers should be in place by 2010. Italy intends to tread the same path,” the minister said.

He concluded his reply by adding: “In order to make sure that these operations are a success, it is imperative that Libya takes part in these patrol missions. However, one must make sure that this cooperation takes place in an atmosphere of strict respect for human rights”.

Prof. Cassola responded by saying that he was partly satisfied with the government’s reply. He made the point that “this lack of solidarity between EU member states is very worrying, since it is leaving Malta, Spain and Italy alone to cope with this

problem.”

Prof. Cassola added that, “it is not possible that the various member states are not doing anything about this problem. This is a European problem which must be faced by all member states.

“Moreover, the EU should speak with one voice with the Libyan authorities to point out that Libya is duty bound to respect international law and give its contribution to saving human lives,” he said.