Frattini plan could give Malta good slice of emergency fund

EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini will be pushing for a mechanism that ensures Malta gets a good slice of the E20 million immigration emergency fund, according to Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg.

Dr Borg said yesterday that in line with Mr Frattini's plans, Malta's entitlement will not be tied to how many immigrants are detained on the island but rather on how big the problem is when the size of the country and the population density are taken into consideration.

If only the number of immigrants is taken into account Malta could get considerably less than other countries affected by the problem, such as Spain and Italy. However, if the size of the population density is considered then it would be a different story, Dr Borg explained.

"Commissioner Frattini informed us he will be pushing for a clause at the upcoming Council of Ministers next month which would ensure that Malta gets a portion of funds that takes account of the Maltese immigrant to population density ratio," he said.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday announced it had applied for aid under the repatriation fund.

"After much criticism, the situation seems to be moving along. The EU is also giving out clear signs that it is appreciating our situation," Dr Borg said.

The programmes, the government announced it applied for yesterday deal mostly with repatriation.

The fund in question amounts to €15 million and aims at improving the facilities and procedures of member states dealing with the screening and repatriation of immigrants by improving cooperation and efficiency while safeguarding the dignity of the people being dealt with.

Among other requests, Malta is seeking a refund of €100,000 in connection with expenses incurred in the recent repatriation of 184 immigrants to Egypt.

Together with Italy and the International Immigration Organisation, the government has submitted a proposal for a €1 million repatriation pilot project covering the North African region.

Another proposal for a repatriation programme, this time with the UK and Holland, also having a budget of €1 million, will see Malta participate in arranging six flights to Nigeria, Albania, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and China.

Together with Germany, France and Belgium, Malta submitted a proposal for cooperation in connection with the deployment of social workers at detention centres.

Another proposed programme aims at improving the process for the identification of immigrants and the issue of travelling documents has a budget to the tune of €300,000.

The EU should reach a decision on these programmes by next February/March and then issue the funds by the middle of next year.