Frattini raises Malta's ills in meeting with Gaddafi

The lack of a formal repatriation agreement between Malta and Libya - which would substantially ease the island's illegal immigration problems - was raised in talks the EU's Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini had with Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli this week.

Mr Frattini told The Times the Commission is aware of the fact that an agreement between the EU and Libya would ease Malta's problems because most of the illegal migrants reaching the island depart from the Libyan coast.

A repatriation agreement, whether on behalf of the EU or on a bilateral basis between Malta and Libya, would allow the island to send back to Tripoli all illegal immigrants arriving from Libya. The only similar agreement currently in force is a bilateral agreement between Libya and Italy.

Mr Frattini said the EU is urging Libya to cooperate more with Malta and other EU countries on illegal immigration.

The EU commissioner quoted the Libyan leader, whom he met on Monday, as saying that his country was ready to commit itself to closer cooperation with the EU in order to fight human trafficking.

"Colonel Gaddafi told me he intends to fight traffickers and gangs very strongly in order to stop them and to avoid this horrible crime against vulnerable victims who are exploited," Mr Frattini said. The commissioner planned to explore the possibility of involving Libya in the EU's neighbourhood policy.

"I am thinking about an EU-Libya action plan covering not only migration but cooperation on the environment, culture and also improving investment. We already have similar agreements with other third countries, such as Morocco and Jordan. I think President Gaddafi is willing to explore such a possibility with Europe in order to strengthen cooperation."

Mr Frattini said that as a first sign of concrete action with Libya with regard to the fight against illegal immigration, an EU expert delegation will be visiting the southern Libyan border in the coming two weeks to evaluate the problems emanating from the influx of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

"As everyone knows, this is the real problem we are facing... If we start to ease this problem we will be doing a first big step forward to start relieving Malta."

The EU is engaging its border control agency Frontex in a number of activities to address emergency situations in member states this summer. These include the launch of the first EU led naval and air patrol over the Mediterranean sea.