Christian Peregin
EU relations with Libya vital to Frontex success - Busuttil
For Frontex to succeed in the Mediterranean, the EU must develop a relationship with Libya, MEP Simon Busuttil told University students during a discussion on campus about the EU's Immigration Pact.
He explained that Libya was the only Mediterranean country with which the EU has no relations, making it difficult to force it to cooperate on a number of issues, including border surveillance.
The patrols run in the central Mediterranean by Frontex, the EU's border agency, were recently described as a failure by its chief Illika Laitinen, with more migrants than ever landing in Malta and Lampedusa this year.
Dr Busuttil subsequently attacked Mr Laitinen's comments as clumsy and bizarre, saying the patrols could be more effective if Libya were persuaded to cooperate. In an event promoted as a consultation meeting on the new pact and attended by 50 students, Dr Busuttil emphasised the need to focus on the bigger picture of immigration. This included giving development aid to different African countries to reduce the number of people leaving their country.
Dr Busuttil is in charge of preparing the European Parliament's reaction to the pact as proposed by the European Council. It will be up to the EP to adopt a common immigration policy, so his report will be highly influential.
Stressing the importance of stopping immigration at its origin and enforcing deportation laws, Dr Busuttil gave special mention to the highly anarchic situation in Somalia, which was causing many immigrants to flee.
These, like others, deserved humanitarian protection until the situation in their country improved but they could not all stay in Malta.
While refugees and those with humanitarian protection should be integrated into Europe, the number of immigrants taken in should be proportionate to the size of the country, he said.
Integration could be beneficial but it required the will of the country, as well as the migrants. Many migrants never wanted to come to Malta in the first place so they did not necessarily want to integrate.
Dr Busuttil said burden-sharing agreements were necessary for immigrants to be resettled in other countries once they received refugee status or humanitarian protection.
The others immigrants, however, had to be sent back, he said, stressing the importance of enforcing border security laws. Even Eastern European and Asian immigrants who overstayed their visas had to be returned.
Explaining the pact, Dr Busuttil said that although burden-sharing was on a voluntary basis, it could still be effective and it was definitely a step in the right direction, considering that until recently every country was isolated.
He said it was irresponsible of politicians to make it seem as if the problem could be solved at a push of a button; reality was much more difficult.
He called for harsher fines for those who exploited migrant workers by employing them illegally.
A student pointed out that many immigrants had been classified as illegal but had not yet been repatriated. She added that since these could not work legally, they would have to resort to crime.
Dr Busuttil acknowledged such a situation and said this had created a vicious cycle, which had to be addressed.
In reply to another question, he said reducing Malta's search and rescue area - which is the size of the UK - would not solve the island's immigration problem. Maltese search and rescue teams would still be obliged to save immigrants in distress because, if Libya failed to cooperate, Malta would not let them drown.
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Raymond Sammut
Nov 3rd 2008, 02:08
Dr Busuttil is being unfair when he describes Mr Laitinen's frank and honest appraisal as 'clumsy and bizarre'.
Dr Busuttil cannot acknowledge his own failure that has resulted in a large number of illegal entrants now living on Malta, and corpses appearing to the south of Malta. He cannot offer a tangible solution, and this in spite of the fact that he has been dabbling with this national problem for a number of years. For example, why does Dr Busuttil never use the term 'Coast Guard', which is the correct term used recently by the Greek Prime Minister.
Dr Busuttil's most notable fallacy lies in the fact that he equates 'not let them drown' with 'ferrying them safely to Hay Wharf', as if there were no other acceptable alternatives. This encourages more to abuse Maritime laws, resulting in more drownings.
Michelle Dali
Nov 2nd 2008, 09:26
Simon Busuttil should start facing reality and stop playing with words. Frontex is a failure - the facts speak for themselves. Burden sharing by other EU countries is not going to happen - only time will prove this point. Other EU counties have their own problems with immigrants and they don't really understand much less care about Malta's uniquely grave situation where the number of illegal immigrants arriving on our shores has exceeded the local birth rate! This would never have been allowed to happen in any other country.
Our politicians need to shake off the defeatist attitude exhibited by Simon Busuttil in his recent article 'do we let them drown', and start defending the interests of Malta and the Maltese now before it is too late.
l Galea
Nov 1st 2008, 18:06
How can you call Frontex a success when it resulted that more illegal immigrants came to Malta and Italy since it started operating?
If they want Frontex to be effective it should tow the illegal immigrants boats back to Libyan waters and keep guard to see that none enter into eu countries waters.
louise vella
Nov 1st 2008, 16:40
Simon Busuttil should bear in mind a statement made by David Casa in his article in The Times (30/10/2008):
" ... let us never forget that, as a nation, we also have a right to preserve our society and to allow for change - but stricly on our terms".
Preserve our society - it's matter of survival.
On our terms - not on Ghaddafir's and not on the EU's terms.
louise vella
Nov 1st 2008, 15:33
1. Frontex is a failure. Laitinen is right on this, Busuttil is wrong.
2. When will Dr Busuttil be holding consultation meetings with the people of Malta on the problem of illegal immigration? When will his government do so? So far they have promised a public consultation process only on entrance to the Lyceum!
3. At this rate, Simon Busuttil will still be waiting for Libya to cooperate when we have the elections to the European Parliament in June 2009.
David Seychell
Nov 1st 2008, 15:02
"Dr Busuttil subsequently attacked Mr Laitinen's comments as clumsy and bizarre, saying the patrols could be more effective if Libya were persuaded to cooperate."
This man is either living in another dimension or is simply trying to take us for another ride. "clumsy and bizarre"? Isn't it true that Frontex in the central Med didn't caught any human traffickers and did not turn back any boat of illegal immigrants? Isn't it true that Frontex acted as a free sea-taxi to these illegals from Libya to Malta and increased the influx by 50% towards Malta?
Yes, with an agreement with Gaddafi "patrols could be more effective" but we DON'T HAVE that! And Gaddafi will never cooperate. We all know his agenda.
"Explaining the pact, Dr Busuttil said that although burden-sharing was on a voluntary basis, it could still be effective and it was definitely a step in the right direction"
Burden-sharing will never work. First, because the EU don't want to share the burden and seconed because the more we share the burden the more will come here.
Joe Morana
Nov 1st 2008, 14:59
W-e-e-e-l-l-l! There you go again, Mr. MEP! Echoing the words of your Master! "Burden-Sharing" is an archaic phrase dating back to the early years of this decade (at least). The EU has paid lip-service, but never really had any intention of doing anything about burden-sharing! Malta became a desireable destination for illegal immigrants ever since its entry into the EU. It is sheer naivite` to believe that "many.....did not want to come to Malta in the first place"! The only way to obtain the co-operation of our neighbours to the south is for the EU to threaten (and impose if necessary) economic sanctions. Those who feel that certain European countries 'created' the turmoil that exists in Africa today, should take up their grieviances with the concerned colonising country, and leave us (MALTA) out of it! Frontex, has failed in its stated mission and role as a border protecting agency. All countries bordering the Mediterranean have assigned 'search and rescue' areas, only some countries shoulder their obligations in a more conscientious manner than others. Otherwise, how does one account for all the corpses that are being fished out of the Med on an almost daily basis!
Sandro Pace
Nov 1st 2008, 12:26
Malta does not see itself European. It is European. And geographically it is closer to Europe than it is to Africa.
louise vella
Nov 1st 2008, 12:15
With his approach Dr Busuttil shows us how NOT to solve the problem of illegal immigration.
Let me remind him that on 8 June 2008 a Maltese newspaper (The Malta Independent on Sunday) wrote:
"Speaking to Italian journalists, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was reported to have said that last year Malta received between 1700 and 1800 illegal immigrants ... 'We cannot receive more illegal immigrants than we are getting', Dr Gonzi was reported to have said. 'This is an invasion.'"
Yet this year we have already got about 2500 of them. Are we going to continue with Dr Busuttil's and Dr Gonzi's policy of utter helplessness?
F Dar
Nov 1st 2008, 11:54
EU has had a long-term problem with its ex-Colonies in Africa. New generation Africans see their natural resources being looted by EU but Africans are not welcome into EU. Why?If Europeans don't like Africans, then Europeans should keep away from Africa too.Why are so many 'Europeans' living in non-European countries,e.g. S.Africa,Zimbabwe,Namibia,Kenya,Australia,N-Z,Canada etc? Malta is so near Africa.Why does it see itself as 'European'?? Libya is an independent,African, country which has suffered from European exploitation & barbaric treatment in the past,& more recently by USA.Why should it continue to help solve EU's self-created problems??
Christopher Park
Nov 1st 2008, 11:51
It is simply not in the other EU member states' interest to resolve Malta's immigration problems and the plethora of other woes derived from them! With the status change of the Libyan state as a sponsor of terrorism to one party they can now do business with, the potential markets opening for major European firms are more enticing and remunerative.
It's high time that FRONTEX starts naming and shaming those key players in the Libyan establishment who have a financial interest in the pie of people trafficing, a network well known to start from Mogadishu university campus, right upto the three Somali 'diplomats' of an emigre` government in exile on Libyan turf. And this with the complicity of a 'General' as many FRONTEX migrant debriefs have shown.
It's high time Malta as a nation stood up for itself, not relying on the expected peripherial benefits of the Berlusconi agreement with Colonel Muamar Ghaddafi, one of those few remaining dictators in this day and age. An effective bloackade is required off Libyan shores, not trivial token patrolling, just like the Italians did on the Albanian route in the Adriatic. And not using only AFM worn out patrolboats either!
louise vella
Nov 1st 2008, 11:09
“Dr Busuttil emphasised the need to focus on the bigger picture of immigration. This included giving development aid to different African countries to reduce the number of people leaving their country.”
True, but it will take at least 50 years for Africa to be developed. What shall we do in the meantime? Go on accepting unlimited numbers of illegal immigrants?
“Stressing the importance of stopping immigration at its origin and enforcing deportation laws, Dr Busuttil gave special mention to the highly anarchic situation in Somalia, which was causing many immigrants to flee.”
True, but does it mean that in the meantime Europe, including Malta, has to accept the entire population of Somalia - 8.7 million according to BBC country profiles.
The solution is to protect and defend Malta from an unending influx.
John Portelli
Nov 1st 2008, 10:41
Why should Libya CARE???? This is Libya's solution to the immigration problem it has,So Europe must find it's SOLUTION.
louise vella
Nov 1st 2008, 10:00
Libya plays with illegal immigrants’ lives, using them as weapons to punish Italy for its colonial past and Malta for joining the EU.
But the illegal immigrants are complicit. They pay $1000-2000 for the boat trip. They destroy their documents. They leave with the intention of illegally entering EU countries.
It’s a distortion to say: “Malta would not let them drown”. Frontex should operate as a border control agency, i.e., with patrol boats (NOT gunboats) heading off traffickers’ boats and mother ships. Frontex should have the means to resist blackmail – by Libya, traffickers in human beings and illegal immigrants.
David Casa wrote in The Times (30/10/2008): “Not to halt this influx would have serious repercussions on the fabric of Maltese society”. What is Dr Busuttil doing to halt the influx NOW, before it is too late?
“In an event promoted as a consultation meeting … attended by 50 students”. Was it a consultation meeting or simply promoted as one? If Simon Busuttil wishes to have consultation meetings, he can have them in Birzebbuga, Safi and the south of Malta where the problem is growing by the day.