Malta received the first tangible signs of real EU solidarity as it continues to grapple with rescuing and providing for the increasing influx of migrants making the treacherous Mediterranean crossing from Africa’s north coast to Europe.
While it was initially thought that wrangling over Member States’ voting rights would have largely overshadowed this week’s EU summit, Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo was upbeat on the EU’s final conclusions on the migration issue.
“Malta can now expect tangible solidarity and help following a direct commitment from the EU’s leaders,” Dr Frendo told the press at dawn on Saturday morning after an arduous two days of negotiations on the EU’s Reform Treaty.
He added that, following the European Council’s conclusions, the migration issue will now feature in all council meetings while a mandate has been given to strengthen Frontex, the EU’s border control agency, which is expected to begin patrols in the vicinity of Malta in the coming days.
Among the EU leaders’ conclusions, the texts of which are to be transposed into a final Reform Treaty in December, is a call on member States and the Commission to provide adequate human and financial resources to achieve a comprehensive migration policy, closer cooperation with third countries, such as Libya, and to strengthen the capacity of Frontex.
The European Council will, furthermore, review the implementation of a comprehensive EU migration policy, as floated recently, at the next EU summit in December, based on an interim Commission progress report to be drawn up.
Specific to Malta, the report will include progress on the application of the Global Approach to Migration to Africa and the Mediterranean as well as initial progress on the application of the Global Approach to Migration to the eastern and southeastern regions neighbouring the European Union.
On the comprehensive migration policy, EU leaders have called on “the Member States and the Commission to ensure that adequate human and financial resources are allocated, within the existing financial framework, in order to enable the timely implementation of the comprehensive migration policy”.
The Council also found that, “Recent events have demonstrated once again the need to make rapid progress in developing a comprehensive European migration policy based on common political principles, capable of taking account of all aspects of migration (the migration and development agenda, as well as internal aspects such as legal migration, integration, protection of refugees, border control, readmission and the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking), based on a genuine partnership with third countries and fully integrated into the Union’s external policies.”
On supplying Frontex, EU leaders called on the agency’s capacity to be reinforced. They noted that joint operations on the EU’s borders are contributing to the fight against illegal migration, are saving lives and as such “must be maintained”.
The European Council called for Rapid Border Intervention Teams to become operational “as soon as possible”, for the new possibilities created by the Coastal Patrol Network and the CRATE “toolbox” to be used to the full, including the stepping-up and strengthening of joint patrols.
EU leaders also invoked the Hague Programme to reaffirm “that European solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities are among the founding principles guiding Europe’s activities in managing the EU’s external borders, in accordance with the integrated management system”.
The EU’s Heads of State and government stressed the importance of cooperation with third countries in managing migration flows. They highlight in the treaty’s text that “specific partnerships on migration with third countries could contribute to a coherent migration policy which combines measures aimed at facilitating well managed legal migration opportunities and their benefits – while respecting Member States’ competences and the specific needs of their labour markets – with those fighting illegal migration, protecting refugees and tackling the root causes of migration while at the same time impacting positively on development in countries of origin”.
But while such measures are to be etched in stone come the December intergovernmental conference, they are not expected to do much to assist Malta as the height of summer, and hence the peak of the migration season, are already with us.