To the same extent that the EU of 27 kept a united front with respect to Brexit, they failed to keep it and still are not keeping it with respect to migration issues. Plans or projects to establish a commmon policy in this area are still caught up in confusions and refutations, which apparently have now spread even to the ways by which Frontex could be boosted. There is no hope that a reasonable solution can be found in the near future regarding a reform to the Dublin agreement – especially how it impacts on where arriving refugees are held and where they should remain once they arrive in the EU.

An indication as to how matters have become blocked can be seen in the manner by which member states have been taking position about the UN Migration Pact, an initiative that when first launched, had the backing of the EU. Some member states have approved the Pact, others not, with one coalition government – that of Belgium – splitting about what needed to be done and collapsing. Now the Pact does not prescribe obligatory measures for anybody...

A claim has been made for some kind of EU agreement on migration to be reached by a qualified majority, that is to say without unanimity. That would be inadvisable.

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Reputation

Entrepreneurs in internet gaming recently warned that this country had better watch out for its reputation. It appears they were basically referring to the threat that we could become too associated internationally with money laundering activities.

I must admit I found their warning most ironic. I always kept back from making my views clear, even if right from when the PN government of the 1990s began promoting internet gaming activities, I hardly considered this was such a brilliant development. If Malta were to morph into the Atlantic City of internet gaming, funds would be coming our way for sure, but so would the dangers caused by organised crime, among other problems.

And now, the same “industry” that gives rise to such problems, is warning us about them.

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Rubble walls

What a pity it is that Malta was not among those Mediterranean countries which persuaded UNESCO to declare that rubble walls should be seen as part of the world patrimony. As in those countries, rubble walls here have created an environment that defines the character of the Maltese countryside, with fields that descend in steps down towards the valleys.

Beyond the beauty of such a view which characterizes so much of the Mediterranean, were rubble walls not there, our islands would have been completely cleaned of all soils which would have been simply swept out into the sea. And although rubble walls seem like they were built in an improvised way, skills accumulated over centuries were deployed to ensure that all those bits of rock that were assembled, would become like belts, tight enough to keep soil in place.

There is today minimal appreciation for these constructs. Indeed, we have even been replacing them with fences built of stone and duly packed with cement.

Many moons ago, as environment minister, Dr George Vella launched a project intended to repair rubble walls that were still in place and to revive those which had been allowed to crumble. How right he was!