German minister acknowledges scale of illegal migration problem

The EU Pact for Immigration and Asylum and the challenges that illegal immigration is posing for Malta were discussed by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Gunter Closer, Germany's Minister of State for Europe, yesterday.

Mr Closer said he is now able to truly appreciate the scale of the problem Malta is facing.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici referred to the negotiations that led to last week's agreement on a final text for the pact proposed by the French presidency of the council.

He thanked the German minister for Germany's determining support for the inclusion of the burden-sharing mechanism concept in the pact, a new principle proposed by Malta that initially a number of member states found it difficult to accept. A record number of illegal immigrants arrived in Malta so far this year, mostly from Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan.

"This means we are already in a position to predict that, in view of such countries of origin, there will be a higher proportion of asylum seekers being granted refugee or temporary humanitarian protection - both of which are considered to be forms of international protection that is referred to in the Pact on Immigration and Asylum," he said.

"We also believe in the need for stronger relations between the EU and Libya, particularly in the light of the fact that the text of the pact specifically refers to the need for agreements with the countries of transit as one of the ways to tackle illegal immigration.

"If we, as a European Union, act on this, it will not just be Malta that will benefit in the long term but all the 27 member states."

Dr Mifsud Bonnici noted the importance of voluntary relocation agreements that Malta has in place with the United States and a number of European countries, including Germany.