MEPs urge Brussels to go beyond technical and financial solidarity on burdens

P Debono

Feb 7th 2009, 10:22

This is disgraceful... WE DO NOT WANT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ROAMING AROUND OUR STREETS. WHEN WILL THE EU BIGWIGS UNDERSTAND THAT?!?!?!?!

lgalea

Feb 7th 2009, 08:37

Malcolm Farrugia
Gonezipn was elected, so it is Gonezipn who should be tackling the illegal immigrants problem.

As for the MEPs delegation, they either put their money where their mouth is and take them all back with them or SHUT UP.

Corinne Vella
AFFRONTEX is an affront to the Maltese people which is only ferrying illegal immigrants to Malta. The other eu countries have no such problem with their land borders, or it is a minute one compared to what we have.

Louis Gialanze
You are perfectly correct.
However, our politicants can only understand us when our message is written on out ballot paper.
Witness how they all remember us a few months before the elections.
Home visits, promises, patching up of roads, a bit of painting road marks here and there, etc and then they forget us until the next elections.
So start at the coming elections in July, both the EP and local councils elections and after voting for your party candidates write your message on your ballot paper.
That is the only way the message gets through their thick heads and arrogance.

lgalea

Feb 6th 2009, 23:21

Corinne Vella
Border control?
Do you mean escorting illegal immigrats to Malta?n
Gonezipn, sent all the illegal immigrants out of Malta.
We do not want any of them to remain here.
You and all those politicians who defend the illegal immigrants instead of Maltese citizens shall get our answer on our votes.

I Abela

Feb 6th 2009, 22:43

@ Glenn Bedingfield and David Casa - PLEASE NOTE - You will never EVER get my vote for the MEP elections. You two just proved how detached you are from the Maltese society. Can't you read the writing on the wall. Do we need to come personally to tell you that we don't want any more Illegal Immigrants on our soil? Let alone put them in open centres as soon as they land. Also while we're at it, we don't want terrorists here Glenn. America is fighting them, America is arresting them, Yet America keeps them at Cuba, and now wants them in the EU. Why don't they take them to America? Glenn.....You are a great disappointment for all those who tried to beleive in you.

Louis Gialanze

Feb 6th 2009, 19:20

Criminalise all forms of illegal immigration as in former times before this country lost its head and accepted unfavourable conditions dictated upon us by the EU. We have been forwarned by Sharon Ellul Bonici what's in store for us.On the other hand David Casa helped in no small way to instill a false sense of security amongst the gullible majority. Sometimes I wonder in whose interest our MEP's work for!

louise vella

Feb 6th 2009, 18:22

FRONTEX needs to be upgraded. Malta's southern borders are the EU's own southern borders. The illegal immigrants arriving - illegally, accidentally or unwillingly - to Malta do not want to stay here. They want to go to other EU countries. These countries either want our illegals (who would then and there become legal) or they do not. In a time of rising unemployment the likelihood is that they do not want additional man(woman)power. In that case there is only one option: to stop the illegals from arriving, that is, by turning FRONTEX into a robust coastguard.

Corinne Vella

Feb 6th 2009, 17:08

Louise Vella: Frontex is a border patrol. The EU's borders do not begin and end at the northern Mediterranean coast. Some of the EU's borders are landlocked.

louise vella

Feb 6th 2009, 17:05

"A seven-strong MEP delegation visited Malta in March 2006 and was highly critical of the state of detention centres here and the conditions in which migrants are kept." And despite all this, the illegal kept on coming. How many more would have come if the conditions were fit for MEPs to live in?

Denis Catania

Feb 6th 2009, 16:15

I would like to thank the two MEP's Casa and Bedingfield who were present to vote. The question is, where were the other three MEP's?? Don't we have a small enough voting bloc in the EU. This is appalling.These other three wants us to send them back to EP in June. Shame on those three MEP's

louise vella

Feb 6th 2009, 16:09

What did the European Parliament's resolution say about strengthening FRONTEX?

Do they know it has become a taxi service ferrying illegal immigrants from Libya to southern uropean shores?

What steps will the European Parliament take to turn FRONTEX into a robust coastguard?

Malcolm Farrugia

Feb 6th 2009, 15:41

"Il- poplu qed taqbizlu". Isn't it the time that azzjoni nazzjonali do something about it? This weeks local press including this one, where packed solid with illegal arrivals and riot news. I wonder why azzjoni nazzjonali is silent, after all they are the ones promising that once elected they will tackle this situation once and for all. If the party whose agenda is against illegal immigration is silent i wonder what the fellow citizen can do on it's own even if united.

louise vella

Feb 6th 2009, 15:06

MEPs and all others who propose to visit the detention centres should be told that the situation is no better than it was the last time they visited. If anything it’s worse, because more illegal immigrants have been arriving. If they insist on coming, they should be told they must stay in the detention centres themselves. Why should MEPs and other visitors get a free trip and stay in expensive hotels at the taxpayers’ expense with the excuse they want to visit detention centres?

stephen mumford

Feb 6th 2009, 12:26

Enough is enough. Malta wake up and be counted for. The illegal immigrants have more rights than us maltese citizens in our own country. Look at mater dei, we wait to be seen by a doctor and they just sweep them through. This is injustice at its prime. We need politicians like the australian PM who has given an ultimatum in writing to all illegal immigrants in Australia. Our leaders should take note. Now the EP election is soon with us. The candidate / party who will ensure and convince me that tough measures will be adopted to rid us of this serious problem will claim my and my family's vote.

Phil Humphries

Feb 6th 2009, 12:25

So there we have it - The EP's way of addressing illegal immigration is to make regular visits of detention centres across the EU. No doubt, so that they can lecture us on how badly we treat our unwanted visitors. Small wonder that Brussels is known as the world's biggest talk shop, Gaddafi must be laughing his head off.

Well, to all those well paid and pensioned MEP's anticipating another 'jolly' I say, Don't waste your (sorry, OUR ) money travelling around Europe staying in fancy hotels etc., just stay where you are and we will tell you what detention centres are like; they are overcrowded, unpleasant, undesirable places in which to spend any time at all - which is as they should be given that they house people of illegal intent from God knows what kind of background.

Rather than sending Eurocrats on ever more excursions, our hard-earned money might be better spent producing full colour, multi-lingual brochures featuring the delights of our European detention centres and air-dropping them all over Libya and beyond in the hope that they serve as a deterrent - which is no more ridiculous than trying to talk this problem away.

H.Calleja

Feb 6th 2009, 12:23

Despite what the detention centres' report say, hundreds of illegal immigrants are still arriving everyday, nowadays even in winter. So it seems that despite the meagre environment, they still prefer Malta to their countries of origin. What do the EU delegation expect us to do? Send them to a five-star hotel? The same delegation should not only look down on Malta's situation but force the same EU to do something seriously by financing a very good environment and primarily by suppressing more arrivals. Malta and Lampedusa have had enough of too many unkept promises

A Cardona

Feb 6th 2009, 11:52

Jigru gejjin biex jghinuna, bhalma gew jigru s'issa. U dan kollu f'ambjent ta' solidarjeta' estrema. U li ma kinitx solidarjeta' estrema x'kienu jaghmlu? Jibghatulna l-illegali taghhom biex inzommuhomlom ahna?

Joanne Micallef

Feb 6th 2009, 10:31

The report on which the resolution is based was also supported by Nationalist MEP David Casa and Labour MEP Glenn Bedingfield. The other three Maltese MEPs were not present during the voting session.


I wonder what was more important for the other Maltese MEP's not to be present.

d. borg

Feb 6th 2009, 10:02

Why do the Maltese MEPs always sign agreements that give more rights to illegal immigrants but go against the wishes of the majority of the Maltese. Make a stand and let them know that detention centres are here to stay as also detention periods for as long as immigrants keep on coming. We are tired of visits and inspections. Only criticism but no solidarity!!! Sorry I've lost all faith in the EU on this matter.