First details have emerged of the Immigration Pact, agreed by EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers this morning.
European Voice said the principles which had been agreed reflected Maltese concerns about asylum and included concession to Danish sensitivities on migration.
Malta had warned it would not agree to the pact unless it included a reference to burden-sharing.
European Voice said: "The Maltese government has demanded, and won, stronger wording on support to be given to member states who face particular problems handling asylum-seekers. The final version of the pact says that: 'for those member states which are faced with specific and disproportionate pressures on their national asylum systems' there should be, 'on a voluntary and co-ordinated basis, better relocation of beneficiaries of international protection from such member states to others".
The Danish government also managed to convince other that EU states that they should back a statement that legislation on free movement should not encourage illegal immigration. The reference was inserted in response to a judgement from the European Court of Justice, in July, which has caused uproar in Denmark.
The judgement – known as the ‘Metock case' after one of the plaintiffs in the case –concerned several spouses of EU citizens who had been denied residency in Ireland because they came from non-EU countries. The court found that this refusal of residency contravened the 2003 free movement directive, and the EU treaty. Although the case concerned Ireland, Denmark must also amend its tough rules on family reunification as a result.
Other substantial elements of the pact include commitments by member states not to carry out "generalised" regularisations of illegal migrants, to issue biometric visas from 1 January 2012, and to secure readmission agreements with transit countries for illegal migrants. It also calls on the Commission to present proposals for common rules on how member states should treat asylum-seekers.
The Immigration Pact was welcomed this morning by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici. The Labour Party said it would comment once it saw the final text.
See also: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080925/local/malta-strikes-eu-burden-sharing-deal