Burden sharing deal possible next year

A pilot project putting into practice the burden-sharing agreement for immigration that the government has been fighting for could be in place next year, EU Justice Com-missioner Jacques Barrot said yesterday.

Mr Barrot said he expected the asylum agency, which the EU 27 agreed to set up last month, to come up with a resettlement programme through which asylum seekers could be absorbed by other member states.

"After some amount of time, hopefully not too long, I expect to see a relocation programme," he said. When asked for a specific timeframe, he said he expected the programme to be in place by the end of the year and a pilot project in 2010.

"I don't see how else we can proceed. Malta cannot keep taking more migrants without facing insurmountable problems," he said at a news conference which followed a packed day in which he came face-to-face with migrants both in detention and at an open centre.

"I make a solemn appeal to all the member states to put solidarity into practice," he said at the news conference, highlighting the unexpected high number of migrant arrivals in the winter months.

Earlier, during a meeting with the parliamentary Foreign and European Affairs Committee, he pledged to involve the EU in more negotiations with countries where immigrants leave from or pass through, especially Libya.

He was also in agreement with a suggestion made by the committee's chairman, Michael Frendo, that the EU's development aid to countries of origin should start being tied with their co-operation on repatriation.

If put in place, the pressure on African states receiving development aid, could solve the problem of repatriation, one of the hardest nuts to crack. Repatriation to places like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo, where red tape and lack of co-operation is rife, is rare and difficult.

Mr Barrot was less specific on Libya, though said he would take action to ensure immigration was higher on the agenda in EU negotiations with the north African state.

"It is not possible for Libya to keep allowing rickety boats which leave its shores and then capsize, calling Malta for assistance."

At the Ħal Far detention centre, where conditions were severely criticised by aid agency Medecins Sans Frontiéres last Friday, Mr Barrot came face-to-face with the plight of the migrants held there.

They were expecting his visit, and some prepared some banners against detention. 'We have no life in Malta. No proper shelter,' one banner read.

When the entourage accompanying Mr Barrot entered the tent compound, some immigrants went into a frenzy. But a few representatives managed to speak to the Commissioner directly.

A west African migrant spoke to him about the mental stress on detainees who often waited months for asylum applications to be processed. The situation, especially in winter, was dire for those living in tents, he said.

His testimony echoed that given by MSF which announced it could not continue providing medical services in detention centres because of the conditions.

On this point, Mr Barrot, said the conditions in the closed centres need improvement, but he did not go further. However, he pledged to make more funds available to Malta over the money already allocated, specifically for the centres to be improved. Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici appeared confident that Malta was drawing closer to an agreement on burden sharing.

This time, things were different, he said, because the European Asylum Pact agreed upon last year, which spawned the upcoming agency, provided a framework to achieve that deal.

The pact speaks of transferring refugees from border states throughout the EU. However, that clause remains a voluntary affair.

Moreover, he stressed that the Commissioner was in tune with the situation. "I am very positive about the Commissioner's reaction following the visit... it's better that I expected. We showed him round and took him to the worst places, because we believe honesty is the best policy and he has really grasped the difficulties we are facing," he said.

The point, in fact, was also hammered home by the parliamentarians on the Foreign and European Affairs Committee.

They highlighted the fact that the situation is fuelling unprecedented levels of xenophobia, which are rooted in frustration against the EU's inaction over the matter. MEP Simon Busuttil said the frustration was driven by a mix of fear of a "silent invasion" and anger that Malta has been let down by the EU on this issue. Labour MP Leo Brincat even suggested the EU could lose credibility among the Maltese over the matter.

The Commissioner said he understood the situation, including people's reported fears of invasion, but warned parliamentarians not to be too pessimistic.

He said the asylum pact offered a real possibility of progress in the months ahead.