Tuesday, 7th October 2008 - 22:18CET
EU Parliament committee allocates first funds for burden-sharing mechanism
Frontex mission to be extended
The Budgets Committee of the European Parliament today adopted an amendment tabled last month by MEP Simon Busuttil calling for the establishment of a "Solidarity Mechanism" to enable burden-sharing on immigration among EU member states.
The committee accepted Dr Busuttil's amendment to allocate an additional €5 million to the European Refugee Fund so that the operation of the burden-sharing mechanism could start.
Another €5 million were allocated to promote other resettlement schemes.
The amendment as adopted, reflects the burden-sharing provision recently adopted by EU ministers.
Dr Busuttil expressed his satisfaction that the committee had endorsed his request .
"I am delighted that today Parliament has followed in the steps of the Immigration Pact recently adopted by Council in giving its green-light for a burden-sharing mechanism.
"Moreover, we went one step further by allocating an initial €5 million to help get this mechanism going. Today, Parliament put its money where its mouth is."
Separately, the committee also adopted a compromise on another amendment tabled by Dr Busuttil which allocates an additional €10 million to the EU's Frontex agency to enable it to extend its maritime missions in Southern Europe on a permanent basis with effect from next January.
MEP Louis Grech, who was present at the meeting, intervened to secure the Socialists' support on the Frontex amendment. The vote in the Budget Committee is expected to be endorsed in the Parliament's plenary when it meets later this month in Strasbourg to vote on the first reading of the EU budget for 2009.
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Comments
If we did not join the EU would Malta have benefited from any form of assistance?
If we did not join the EU would we have MEPs like Simon that would put forward this problem where it matters and get our voice heard and get help?
From what I understand although the current Leader of the Opposition was against joining EU, now also the opposition is ‘four square’ behind the Government in this issue so let us all stop this nonsense of EU not helping and of Malta being invaded.
This is reality and we have to accept it.
Well done to our MEPs especially Simon
Another good step forward.
Well done Simon.
Hopefully the hysteria of ‘patriot tax payer’ calm down. How ever, I am still expecting same desperate moaners to say….the problem is not about money….its about…………..(they can always use the immigrants as convenient scapegoats for any negative developments, this of course may vary to include, the murder of Gozo warden, the global financial crises, oil prices or even climate changes)
The European Union is allocating more funds to Malta in order to make these immigrants feel more comfortable. In the meanwhile more boats will surely arrive as Dr.Busuttil keeps trying to rebuild his credibility after the five years which he have spent in the shadows of Joseph Muscat.
Remember that the MEP's election is fast approaching and maybe Busuttil wants to reassure his seat in Brussels by trying to steal our hearts with the immigrants' issue.
Simon Busuttil speaks sense and this is why he gets it his way!
After proposing something concrete on how burden sharing could work in the EU, despite not having even a law on the subject, now he has the go-ahead of his committee collegues to get finances in place to make the system happen.
We are proud of you!