Respect, solidarity for immigrants... and action

Illegal immigration has burdened western countries for years, a problem growing in severity recently with the number of immigrants well exceeding national records. An important distinction must be made between immigration and illegal immigration. At certain points in Europe's history the first was considered by many to be economically fundamental as national birth rates decreased and a younger workforce was required to carry out manual labour and factory work. This is still the case in certain respects.

However, illegal immigration is completely different as these individuals are likely to possess no skills and place a heavy economic burden on the countries most affected. While temporarily accommodating illegal immigrants might be the only acceptable measure in the short term, it is in no way sustainable and, in Malta's case, one could argue that the stance adopted by the EU could be argued to be in violation of the concept of solidarity that should be present in member states for the purpose of coordinating a united front on external issues such as these.

The limitations that are characteristic of an island such as Malta have been debated at length and rehashing these points would be futile. Perhaps noting the constraints imposed by our size, in addition to having the highest population density when compared to our European counterparts, is important to emphasise. Not to halt this influx would have serious repercussions on the fabric of Maltese society and, while the rights of these individuals must be safeguarded, let us never forget that, as a nation, we also have the right to preserve our society and to allow for change - but strictly on our terms.

It is also crucial to be aware of the fact that the EU has adopted strict policies for the protection of asylum seekers. Silvio Berlusconi's government has recently attempted to introduce new measures in order to empower the courts to expel unwanted foreigners as expeditiously as possible. The proposed legislation has been gradually shaved away by technocrats in Brussels.

The suggestion that clandestine immigrants would be imprisoned for up to four years has now been mellowed down to the potential introduction of a fine that, in any case, they would not be capable of paying. Even the idea of expelling those originating from EU member states and who are unable to prove they have sufficient means of subsistence, intended to rid the country of Romanian gypsies, was crushed due to being inconsistent with the freedom of movement promised to all citizens of Europe.

While all of the above is intended to encourage swift repatriation, the transcendent issue is where to send them. Arriving on foreign soil with no documentation whatsoever and being less than cooperative in indicating their country of origin makes this a difficult task indeed. Perhaps it is in this regard that Frontex could play a larger role - thoroughly monitoring the EU's southern borders in order to establish the origin of vessels leaving the African continent and, hence, facilitating this process.

In the long run, it is only addressing the push factors present in African countries that are leaving these individuals with no option but to flee, that will aid in resolving the situation plaguing various member states and Malta in particular. The EU must procrastinate no longer on this urgent matter and use every tool at its disposal to target nations whose infrastructure, policies and human rights record leaves citizens with little alternative but to search for greener pastures across the Mediterranean.

In the meantime, while acknowledging that there are limits to our hospitality, these individuals must be treated with the dignity and respect to which every human being is entitled.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

david@davidcasa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu