EU steps up illegal migration fight

EU leaders yesterday approved measures to be taken next year to boost the fight against illegal migration.

Addressing a press conference in Brussels at the end of the two-day summit, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi expressed his satisfaction that the EU is finally demonstrating that illegal immigration is a common EU problem and decided to put in place a series of measures that should help countries like Malta facing this serious challenge.

"We have been pushing illegal immigration during all the relevant council meetings and constantly repeating that the EU needs to intervene and help us. This summit's conclusions show that our requests have not fallen on deaf ears as we now have a set of agreed measures that will strengthen our fight against illegal immigration."

The most significant measures include the reinforcement of the EU border control agency Frontex, which will be coordinating longer and more intense EU patrols off the coasts of Malta and in the central southern Mediterranean region.

The conclusions state: "Frontex is invited urgently to finalise its ongoing work on the creation of a centralised record of technical equipment offered by member states which could be put at the disposal of another member state; and to report on the progress made to the council by the end of April 2007.

"The member states are invited to contribute actively to this process with national means and resources. Priority will also be given to examining the creation of a European surveillance system for the southern maritime borders; Frontex is invited to establish, as soon as possible, together with the member states of the region, a permanent coastal patrol network at the southern maritime borders."

EU leaders also agreed to strengthen the capacity of Frontex to be able to meet the migration challenges at the EU's external borders next year by ensuring adequate economic and personnel resources and their effective use.

The need for more dialogue with countries of origin and transit was also addressed by EU leaders. In fact, they agreed to deepen the partnership between the EU, African and Mediterranean countries by broadening dialogue and strengthening practical cooperation.

"This partnership will build in particular on the joint commitments made in the ministerial conferences in Rabat and Tripoli in 2006... Specific EU missions will be sent to key African countries during 2007," the leaders agreed in the summit conclusions.

Dr Gonzi said Malta has also supported the idea of holding an EU-Africa summit next year where migration will be the main item on the agenda.

The Brussels summit, bringing to an end the Finnish presidency, also took important decisions on the future enlargement of the EU.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso insisted during the final press conference that talks with Turkey will continue but stressed that Ankara will have to respect all the rules if it really wants to make progress.

The future of the EU Constitution was also discussed by EU leaders. They agreed that the forthcoming German presidency will prepare a report with proposals on how to proceed over this issue. The report is expected to be presented to EU leaders in June, a month following the crucial presidential election in France.