The two Maltese members of the European Parliament's Budgets Committee, Simon Busuttil and Louis Grech, have called on Frontex, the EU's border agency, to explain how it is planning to hold permanent patrol missions in the Mediterranean from next year.
This call was made during separate interventions made during the debate on the first reading of the EU's 2008 budget at the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Dr Busuttil, a Nationalist MEP, said that Parliament's vote to double the agency's budget to almost €70 million (Lm30.05 million) sent a political message that spoke for itself. This increase went exclusively towards the agency's operational budget to help it increase its missions on the EU's external borders.
Parliament had also put 30 per cent of the agency's administrative budget in reserve in order to press the agency to become more effective.
He listed conditions for the release of these funds including the need for proper consultation between the agency and the European Parliament and the presentation of an updated work plan by Frontex for next year, taking into account the new budget and the new needs.
"Since Commission vice-president Franco Frattini said that Frontex would embark on permanent missions in the Mediterranean from next year, we now expect the agency to increase its budget allocation for sea border missions from the €10 million (Lm4.29 million) projected so far," he said.
Dr Busuttil called upon Frontex to present a more realistic chart of the assets - boats, planes and helicopters - that member states have pledged to provide to the agency during its missions.
The matter was also taken up by Mr Grech, a Labour MEP, who said that member states should deliver what they promise.
"We need to review a lot of our policies and how we fund them. For example, Frontex's 2008 budget for operational needs has been increased by €30 million (Lm12.88) but at the same time 30 per cent of its administrative expenditure has been put in reserve because countries do not deliver what they promise in logistical help to other member states such as Malta," he said. He spoke about the need for value for money in connection with all the funds voted by the EU out of the citizens' taxes.
The final vote on the first reading on the EU budget is expected to take place today.