Ivan Camilleri, Brussels and Matthew Xuereb
EU presidency welcomes Quadro roadmap
EU Justice Ministers yesterday welcomed the initiative taken by Malta, Cyprus, Italy and Greece to devise a 12-month road map with priorities on how the EU should tackle illegal immigration. Following a presentation on the documents by the Maltese Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici to an informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Prague, the EU's Czech President promised to draw up a new report based on the Quadro's document to be discussed by member states during another Council meeting.
Contacted in Prague, Minister Mifsud Bonnici said that Malta will relentlessly pursue the implementation of what had been agreed to in the Pact for Immigration and Asylum in the shortest time possible.
Fearing a slow pace on translating the Pact into action by the incoming Czech Presidency and Sweden, which will be at the helm of the EU in the last semester of 2009, the four Mediterranean countries are taking the initiative to propose the next steps the EU should take in its fight against illegal immigration.
Previously the Czech government had indicated that immigration in the south of Europe is not part of its priorities for the presidency. However, yesterday morning, the Czech Ambassador to Malta clarified that his country's presidency of the EU intends giving importance to the issue and build on the work already carried out over the past few months.
Ambassador Vladimir Zavazal said he fully understood the situation of illegal migration in Malta because the Czech Republic was also facing similar problems with an influx of Vietnamese people.
When faced with the comments of his Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vodra that tackling illegal immigration was not a priority for his country's presidency, the ambassador said: "I mentioned the Illegal Migration and Asylum Pact agreed upon at the end of the French Presidency and we will continue to build on these foundations. Illegal migration has become a problem for the Czech Republic too and thus we feel the problem very strongly. I am aware of the problem in Malta. It's really critical.
"We strongly support everything about measures against illegal migration. We would also like to pursue common European measures against the illegal employment of illegal migrants."
When asked whether the Czech Presidency of the EU would try to strike an agreement with Libya similar to the one Italy has with that country, Ambassador Zavazal said it would. However, he said, this depended on 27 member states. "The national interests are different. We must find the common interests of 27 countries. We have this pact and we will continue in this sense," he said.
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lgalea
Jan 16th 2009, 19:11
Kenneth Galea
Remember to wake up intime for the EP election to vote and write your message on the vote. That is the only way our politicants understand.
Denis Catania
Jan 16th 2009, 18:23
@louise vella: Well said.
We can only help so many. Ones the number gets too high, we will be doing injustice to the illegals immigrants. Such as living in tents!! No work!!
Besides doing injustice to the Maltese people. Who should be the the priority in this issue.
Plese note the facebook group Save Malta From Illegal Immigrants today passed all political party's official facebook group in membership. With over 2300 members. With a Prime Minister who only won by 1500 votes. What can this group do when we reach 30,000 by 2013?? Will we have the power to vote out anyone who is in denial on this national crisis?? I beleive we will. IF IT'S NOT TOO LATE.
I urge the Prime Minister to fix the illegal immigration problems NOW and make us go away. Or else we will fix you in 2013. Gauranteed.
louise vella
Jan 16th 2009, 15:00
Let’s get down to the bottom line.
How many illegal immigrants is the Government ready to accept in Malta in 2009?
How many illegal immigrants does UNHCR want to impose on Malta in 2009?
How many illegal immigrants do the NGOs want the Maltese to welcome in 2009?
I speak of numbers not colour. If the numbers are low enough, many of us would be ready to accept them.
Denis Catania
Jan 16th 2009, 14:20
A 12 month road map. In 12 months we will have at least 4,000 more illegals immigrants. If not more and 3 different EU presidents. What does this do for Malta. How do we stop this cancer from spreading. Lets stop the spreading of this problem. Than we can deal with what we have on our hands with a 12 months road map.
Kenneth Galea
Jan 16th 2009, 13:30
@I Galea
Action and not words, that is so true and straight to the point! Dr Gonzi and CMB have long betrayed the Maltese people and are taking the side of the EU and the UNHCR. I feel I need to have a long siesta now as I am yawing like hell!!!
lgalea
Jan 16th 2009, 10:28
We want action not words.
The only welcome the eu has so far made was to welcome illegal immigrants to Malta.
The Czech Ambassador was clear in his words.
"The national interests are different. We must find the common interests of 27 countries. We have this pact and we will continue in this sense," he said
This means that he simply wants to put their national interests as had already been made clear when taking the presidency because there are absolutely no common interests of the 27 member countries and to continue with the voluntary burden sharing agreement.
Can Gonzipn and CMB tell us how many illegal immigrants were taken VOLUNTARILY by the other member states out of the 12,000 that landed in Malta?