Editorial

The series of articles last December by Martin Scicluna, the government's adviser on illegal immigration, set out the policy on Malta's objectives in dealing with the phenomenon. With regard to the integration into Maltese society of those who had been granted asylum or protected humanitarian status, he had this to say: "Malta's objective is to ensure that the social inclusion of asylum seekers and the subsequent integration of those eligible for refugee status is encouraged".

The announcement that an Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers will soon be set up to facilitate the well-being of the 1,600 immigrants housed in open accommodation centres must therefore be considered as an important step in this process. The Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity is working to set up a network between its open centres in order to ensure a more centralised and uniform approach is adopted in dealing with immigrants' problems. The new organisation will include a customer care centre to address specific questions and concerns raised by immigrants and, most importantly, to ensure that their welfare is safeguarded while helping them to integrate better with Maltese society.

Since 2002, Malta has experienced successive waves of immigrants reaching its shores. It is estimated that about 2,500 immigrants, who have been given asylum or protected humanitarian status, are now living in the community either in open accommodation centres or elsewhere.

While illegal immigration still poses an enormous challenge - with social and economic implications that are impossible to foresee with certainty - the structures are now well established for dealing with this pressing and often tragic human phenomenon. There are both closed and open accommodation centres. Their oversight and supervision are in place. While improvements still need to be made - especially in the closed accommodation centres - the existing organisation has proved to be the most efficacious in the circumstances.

The Family and Social Solidarity Ministry's initiative to tackle more positively the process of integration of those who are now part of the community is therefore a welcome first step. In keeping with the European Union's Framework for the Integration of Third Country Nationals, Malta has devised a programme that makes a concrete commitment to the system of integration of any person who is not an EU national residing in Malta. As Foreign Minister Michael Frendo put it when the issue of integration was debated at a seminar not so long ago, "the integration process has to be seen as an enriching experience, rather than one of conflict. While, on the one hand, immigrants want to retain their identity, it is also crucial to recognise the host country's identity and to create a strong sense of citizenship".

Integration is a dynamic, two-way process. A sense of tolerance, acceptance and respect among citizens towards illegal immigrants needs actively to be fostered. However, it also requires the immigrants themselves to be willing to integrate with our basic European values, our languages and institutions. Bridging these two aspects provides the acid test of whether the process of integration on which the country has now embarked will succeed.

It is vital that opinion formers in society - the Church, the media, commerce and industry, as well as the government and the opposition - commit themselves to raising civic awareness about the need for greater compassion and understanding of those who have been given asylum in the country.