Malta problem a priority - Finnish PM

The incoming Finnish EU presidency yesterday promised to work hard at finding a common EU solution to the problem of illegal immigration being faced by Malta. Replying to a question by The Times on the current crisis and the need of EU help for Malta to deal with the influx of hundreds of illegal immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said this issue will be one of the priorities of his presidency.

"This is an essential topic for the Finnish presidency. I strongly favour the need to grant as soon as possible EU solidarity to the Maltese people. We must definitely share the burden and not leave Malta alone. We must act on this and that is why we want to develop a strategy on migration during our six months in office."

Recalling his meeting with Malta's Prime Minister a few weeks ago in Helsinki, Mr Vanhanen said Dr Gonzi had insisted that the EU needs to come up with common measures to deal with the illegal immigration problem in the southern member states of the EU.

"We need measures on two levels. On the one hand we must reinforce cooperation on border controls, and here we are making some progress. On the other hand, we need a common policy on migration. I know that we have already talked about this issue in our summit in Hampton Court last year. Now it is time for the EU to act."

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said he shared the Finnish Prime Minister's views, adding that the EU was already helping Malta over this issue.

At the same time, he said, the Commission was conscious of the fact that it needed to do more but warned that this had to be done within the current EU framework.

"We know that in Malta's case, as it is also the case of Spain and Italy, we need to find a more long-term solution. However, let me repeat that this has to be done within the current instruments we have at our disposal."

The EU is still developing its policies in the field of migration and its competences in this issue are very limited. Member states have in the past been very cautious not to concede to Brussels certain powers within the justice and home affairs remit, considering them of national strategic importance.

Mr Barroso said he had already discussed this with Prime Minister Gonzi a few weeks ago during a meeting on the fringes of the EU summit in Brussels.

"We find it obvious that in matters such as migration we should have as much as possible a common European approach. We are not saying this only because of the debate on competences on who should do what. This is just a question of common sense. Malta or any other member state cannot tackle this issue on its own, this is obvious.

"Many of those who are going to Malta or the Canary Islands are not staying there. They will use these countries to go to other parts of Europe. So it makes sense that migration, be it legal of illegal, is tackled at an EU level in an effective way and that is one of the proposals we are making in the justice and home affairs area. We are very grateful that the Finnish presidency has also put this thing as a priority of its agenda."

The issue of illegal migration is expected to be raised with urgency this week during a debate on migration to be held at the plenary session of the European Parliament being held in Strasbourg.

Sources close to the European Parliament told The Times yesterday that a number of MEPs from the European People's Party are planning to organise a press conference in Strasbourg on Thursday to exert more pressure on the EU to tackle this issue.