Italy 'should follow Malta's example'

A senior Italian minister yesterday applauded Malta for its "zero tolerance" policy towards illegal immigrants and said the Italian government should follow its example.

Speaking during a conference on illegal immigration in Rome organised by Caritas, the Italian Minister for Reforms, Roberto Calderoli, who is also a member of the Lega Nord, said statistics published recently show that Italy is being invaded by illegal immigrants.

He said there had to be a stop to this immediately and announced he would be proposing that the Italian government adopts a policy similar to that introduced in Malta.

Malta, he said, was experiencing a similar invasion and was responding with the right attitude. "We have no option but to follow Malta's policy of zero tolerance."

EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini also addressed the conference, saying the EU had to take the necessary measures to help Mediterranean states deal with the problem.

Later in the day, Mr Frattini discussed with Italian and Maltese ministers an EU package of measures to address the situation.

Home Affairs Minster Tonio Borg and Foreign Minister Michael Frendo met Mr Frattini and their Italian counterparts Gianfranco Fini and Giuseppe Pisanu in a tripartite summit on illegal immigration.

The measures will now be submitted to the EU Justice and Home affairs Council in December and will need the approval of all member states before implementation.

The measures include the commencement of joint maritime patrols in the Mediterranean and the establishment of an immigration emergency fund.