Organisations working among immigrants have put their heads together and will be presenting the authorities with a report listing possible solutions to the influx problem.

Representatives of such organisations met at the Palace of New Thinking where, guided by world-renowned lateral thinker Edward de Bono, they explored possible solutions to the problem of illegal immigration. By using creative thinking methods, they challenged concepts like detention and repatriation with the aim to develop new concepts and ideas.

They spoke about broadening the concept of repatriation to include agreements with other countries that need specific labour and sending immigrants there accordingly. The detention period could be turned into a time for education to ensure better integration. Even integration could be re-thought and, rather than conducted by European standards, tailored to include the practices and cultures of immigrants.

A participant mentioned the possibility of encouraging immigrants to showcase their culture and traditions and open up the detention and open centres to the public as a sort of theme park of Africa.

Another suggested that European countries should pool in the millions of euros they spend to tackle illegal immigration and channel the funds to address problems in immigrants' countries of origin. That way, immigrants would have no reason to leave their country and, if they do, perhaps they should do so through officially organised trips after they are granted refugee status from a Maltese office in their homeland.

Public perception, that often sees immigrants as a threat, could also be targeted to help the public perceive immigrants as people who have skills to offer.

While some ideas might not have sounded practical, this was beside the point, Dr de Bono told the immigration stakeholders who attended.

Dr de Bono, whose thinking philosophies have helped major international corporations work out cooperative problems, explained that the purpose behind the Palace was to serve as a platform for new ideas and generate new concepts that would then be relayed to decision makers.

Any ideas mentioned during the meetings could evolve and be fine-tuned, he explained. The most important thing was putting the ideas and new concepts out there.

Last month, the government gave its blessing to Dr de Bono's idea-generating Palace when it designated the National Library in Valletta for the monthly think-tanks.