Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield has backed the creation of EU "return hubs" and called for stronger measures to return irregular migrants, saying that effective returns are essential to reducing irregular migration and disrupting migrant-smuggling networks, a government statement said.
Bedingfield attended the Munich Migration Meeting this weekend, where ministers discussed measures to strengthen the European response to irregular migration.
During the meeting, Bedingfield stressed that the success of the Pact on Migration and Asylum will be measured by its implementation and concrete results rather than by legislation alone.
He highlighted Malta's migration policy, which the statement said has contributed to a 93% reduction in irregular arrivals since 2019 and has enabled Malta to achieve one of the highest return rates of irregular arrivals in Europe, with the equivalent of 70% of irregular arrivals in 2025 having been returned so far in 2026.
The minister emphasised that effective return policies are essential to reducing irregular migration and tackling the criminal networks that profit from smuggling migrants.
He therefore called for targeted improvements to the Pact, including streamlined procedures, stronger tools to deal with crises and measures to prevent misuse of the asylum system.
Bedingfield also reiterated Malta's support for the implementation of the new Return Regulation and for a strengthened operational role for FRONTEX.
This includes helping identify migrants, securing the necessary travel documents, supporting return operations and exploring ways to organise returns from third countries.
He further highlighted the need for a more strategic use of the European Union's external policy instruments to secure greater cooperation from third countries on readmission and returns, by making use of incentives with stronger leverage where necessary.
On what the government described as innovative migration solutions, Bedingfield welcomed the inclusion of the creation of "return hubs" in the new EU Returns Framework and called for further work to turn the idea into a practical operational tool that can support more effective returns.
On border management, Bedingfield supported the establishment of a European emergency response framework to help the EU react more quickly and effectively during periods of high migratory pressure.
He said that any future system should take into account the particular realities and challenges faced by frontline member states such as Malta.
Concluding his intervention, Bedingfield underlined the importance of a coordinated European approach to address irregular migration in a comprehensive manner, combining effective returns, stronger partnerships with countries of origin and transit, action against migrant-smuggling networks, targeted development support and continued cooperation with international partners, including the United Kingdom.