“In the coming days Government will continue to evaluate the outcome of the European Council. The Migration issue should not only be the responsibility of Member States but a global issue. Together we should achieve this goal,” Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Carmelo Abela said, addressing the Euro-Med: Evolving Realities, Shared Challenges Conference organised by the EPP and MEP Roberta Metsola.
The crisis in Syria and Libya, together with instability and human rights issue in other countries of origin, means that the current situation is likely to subsist for the foreseeable future, and that EU Member states currently exposed to disproportionate pressures, will continue facing such pressures over the months. Apart from considering that not only the principle of solidarity between Member States should be implemented, the government also assigns importance to the mandatory nature of such an instrument.
Minister Abela reiterated that although Malta is supporting EU plans, there will be insistence to include population density as added criteria together. This will be coupled with a review of the unemployment rate criteria seeing that the 10% unemployment weighting is having an impact of 90% on the number of migrants Malta will receive, since this country enjoys a low unemployment rate.
“The commission’s proposal is a test for the European Union, a test that we cannot afford to fail. A test of the European Union’s commitment to the Common European Asylum System, for we will never have a genuinely standardised asylum system if Member States exposed to unsustainable pressures are not assisted”, remarked Carmelo Abela.
He stated that the European Union has already tested voluntary relocation. The relocation project did temporarily relieve some of Malta’s pressures but it cannot be stated that its impact was such as to significantly assuage the pressure. Whilst Malta remains appreciative to those Member States that assisted it in the past, the experience of voluntary relocation proves that such a system cannot be expected to bring about substantial alleviation of the pressures faced by Italy and Greece. Minister Abela was thankful for the help provided by the United States with relocation and noted that the United States alone managed to take more migrants from Malta that all the EU states put together.
He remarked that due to its geographical location, Malta could easily be one of those states faced by the risk of having a migration situation developing into an emergency.
"We cannot continue to allow the criminal migrant smuggling networks to operate with impunity. Cooperation within the Mediterranean region and beyond is a must. It is obvious that no state could tackle this alone. Likewise enhanced cooperation is required in the field of return and readmission. Europe needs to send a strong message that irregular migrants who do not qualify for international protection are to be returned to their respective countries of origin at the earliest possible time", said Minister Abela
The Minister concluded that thanks to the work being carried out on a European level on the migration crisis, other member states are understanding the plight of countries like Malta, Italy and Greece. This is an assurance that we are not on our own and if an emergency situation arises in our country, Malta can use this precedent to itsadvantage.