During a visit by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday, Malta and Greece pledged to form a common front on immigration. However, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has softened his tone. It was pointed out that while immigration is not on the agenda for discussion, it will be discussed on the Friday morning during the European Council meeting in Brussels.

Both Prime Ministers noted that the EU rotating presidency will be held by Greece in the first half of next year and Italy in the second half. With immigration being such a hot topic in both Malta and Greece, it comes as no surprise that Mr Samaras headed off to meet Italian PM Enrico Letta later in the day, no doubt to compare notes and share Malta and Greece’s position with Italy. In doing so, the trio will make a joint stand at the council meeting.

Both Dr Muscat and Mr Samaras said they both believed that Malta and Greece’s external borders were also the EU’s borders and therefore the problem of immigration should not be shouldered by Southern Mediterranean countries alone. Last week, following the death of up to 200 Syrian asylum seekers on a boat which capsized within Malta’s search-and-rescue area, Dr Muscat insisted that he would not be leaving the European Council without a solution, prompting many to think that he might be heading for his own ‘Helsinki moment’. Since then, his tone has softened and he has reiterated that Malta will continue to do his humanitarian duty.

One area which Dr Muscat seems intent on pressing ahead with is a ‘green card’ proposal which would see immigrants being given visa passage into Europe under an ordered scheme. He had already alluded to the proposal during his recent visit to Israel and Palestine, where the issue of immigration was brought up at almost every political-level meeting.

The Prime Minister said Malta and Greece will not simply be going to the summit to complain, but will present a plan of action with measures including a more coherent returns policy, a proposal for Frontex to start coordinating return flights the roping in of third countries like Libya – which is not a signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees – and sending a “clear message” to countries of origin that migrants will be repatriated if they do not qualify for asylum. Whether the two countries are successful in their requests ultimately depends on the willingness of other countries to follow suit, but both prime ministers carefully avoided mentioning, when asked, the member states that could cause problems at the Council.

What comes out of the Council remains to be seen. But while Dr Muscat has softened his tone, one must also point out that Commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom, who initially downplayed the burdens which are faced by Malta, Italy and Greece, has also taken a more conciliatory tone and has sought to defuse the powder keg by promising more assistance and that the issue would be escalated at an EU level. Speaking in Israel last week, Dr Muscat also mentioned that cases such as the one in Lampedusa and the one a few days later where a boat was in distress were completely different to ones where immigrants were safe – referring to the tanker saga which took place a few weeks ago. The progress, or lack of, will be gauged after Friday’s Council meeting. But a ‘Helsinki moment’ will not do us any favours.