Joint request for EU help
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini and his Maltese counterpart Michael Frendo yesterday agreed to put forward a joint request for help in connection with irregular migration during the EU's External Relations Council in Newport next month. The...
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini and his Maltese counterpart Michael Frendo yesterday agreed to put forward a joint request for help in connection with irregular migration during the EU's External Relations Council in Newport next month.
The two ministers had a telephone conversation yesterday over the growing problem of illegal migration in the Mediterranean, two days after a boat with 130 asylum seekers went missing close to Lampedusa. The Italian rescuers suspended the search yesterday.
While expressing solidarity and preoccupation on the Maltese situation, Mr Fini reminded Dr Frendo that Italy was at the front line of the problem of migration, according to the Italian media. This was why it was indispensable to put the issue of illegal migration at the forefront of the European agenda, Mr Fini said.
Foreign Ministers of the 25 EU countries will hold an informal meeting under the UK Presidency in Newport, South Wales, on September 1 and 2. The meeting, also known as Gymnich, will be hosted by the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and will cover policy areas under the General Affairs and External Relations Council. Gymnich meetings are held under national presidencies every six months.
Dr Frendo confirmed that Mr Fini was an ally in the issue of migration, as evidenced by the Italian Foreign Minister himself who last month joined his Maltese counterpart to urge the EU to realise that the migrant problem should not be shared solely by Malta and Italy.
Dr Frendo has embarked on a concerted effort to alert the EU of the crisis Malta is facing in dealing with illegal migration. The EU has been asked for assistance for both the repatriation and the resettlement of illegal immigrants.
Last month, Dr Frendo sent a memorandum to ambassadors of EU countries residing here asking for urgent assistance in dealing with the situation.
An emergency task force has been set up in an attempt to tackle illegal immigration in Malta, which reached new heights last weekend with the arrival of over 200 boat people.