Malta cleared to join Schengen

A still unpublished final assessment report, drawn up by the European Commission a few days ago, gives the green light for Malta's entry into the Schengen borderless area as from the end of this year.

Commission sources told The Times that, following inspections by Commission and member states' officials in Malta last month, the island was found to have everything in order to qualify for membership of the Schengen area.

"We have just sent our assessment to the Maltese authorities in which the Commission has expressed satisfaction that Malta is now in a position to fulfil all its Schengen obligations and, thus, to qualify for entry by the end of this year, as scheduled," the sources said.

"The Commission will now recommend Malta's entry, which needs the formal approval of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers' meeting in Brussels next month."

This approval means that Malta will remove its entry borders for all people coming from other Schengen member states.

This will be reciprocated by all the other states party to the Schengen agreement. By the end of this year, all EU member states, except the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania, will form part of this treaty.

The entry of the new rules in Malta will be introduced in two phases.

As from December 21, sea borders will be dismantled. This will particularly affect all those travelling to Sicily who will not be subject to any more checks as they arrive or depart.

The second phase, which will have a more significant consequence on Malta will happen on March 31 of next year when air borders will be lifted.

Contacted by The Times, Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg confirmed that Malta has now made the grade.

"We are very satisfied that our efforts to prepare for this important change has given the desired results.

"This will mean that Malta will become more integrated with the EU and Maltese citizens will have the same treatment abroad as other EU citizens with hassle-free travelling." In order to become eligible for Schengen entry, Malta had to implement a series of measures over the past years, particularly at the airport and the harbours, its main points of entry.

MIA invested Lm1.5 million in the building of a new wing at the airport to cater for the arrival and departure of Schengen passengers and the same had to be done at the sea passenger terminal in Valletta.

A new section had to be created at police headquarters, in Floriana. Called the "Sirene Unit" it runs the Schengen Information System, an EU-wide IT data system, and coordinates with other Schengen area member states.

This section will include 40 police officers working on a 24-hour basis all-year round. Another change will affect Malta's overseas missions, which will now have to start issuing visas on behalf of all EU member states. A collaboration agreement has just been signed between Malta, Austria and Italy laying down that the two countries will start issuing visas on Malta's behalf in places where Malta is not physically present.

The Schengen Treaty is an EU agreement between member states setting out common border control rules with the main objective being the abolition of passport checks on travellers and providing tighter controls on the area's fringes as well as closer cooperation between police forces.