Malta to be discussed by EU foreign ministers

Illegal immigration into Malta will be discussed during the first meeting of the 25 EU foreign ministers to be held under the Finnish Presidency today.

The meeting in Brussels will be presided over by Finland's Foreign Minister Erki Tuomioja who accepted a call by Malta to insert the item in the agenda.

Sources close to the Finnish Presidency told The Times yesterday that Malta had been lobbying for weeks for this to happen.

The sources said that as the Presidency had already promised Malta that illegal immigration would be considered a priority of its term, it decided to accept Malta's suggestion.

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said Malta was very satisfied that the issue will once again be raised in discussions between the EU's foreign ministers.

"During the meeting I will present the latest on the situation in Malta. I will appeal to my colleagues to provide concrete help to the Commission in order to start joint border patrols as soon as possible as promised by the EU's border control agency Frontex. This is our target and we will continue to persist in this direction."

Draft council conclusions prepared by the Presidency for approval at today's meeting welcome the results of the EU-African ministerial conference on migration held last week in Morocco and emphasise the importance of effective preparations for a further ministerial conference that Libya has offered to host in Tripoli.

On illegal immigration, the draft conclusions state that "given the flux of illegal migrants from Africa to the Mediterranean EU member states, and the humanitarian and security challenge it poses, the European Council last December approved a list of priority actions to be taken, focusing on Africa and the Mediterranean. Implementation of those actions is under way. The Justice and Home Affairs Council will examine at its meeting on July 24 the operational aspects of cooperation on migration." Minister Frendo told The Times that Malta will also insist on the need for joint missions by Frontex off the coasts of Spain and Malta to be initiated concurrently.

"We are trying to avoid a situation where one route is secure and the other is not. If Frontex starts its patrols off Spain it will mean that our route, which starts from Libya, will become more vulnerable. We are insisting that if possible this should be avoided."

Minister Frendo said that Frontex was working intensely on starting these operations and plans were at an advanced stage. However, Frontex did not have its own vessels and planes and thus depended on member states to provide these facilities, he added.

Meanwhile, illegal immigration will also be raised during a bilateral meeting to be held after the council between Minister Frendo and Benita Ferrero Waldner, the European Commissioner responsible for external relations. Malta's participation in election monitoring and the current situation in the Middle East will also be discussed at this meeting.