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Frontex patrols delayed

An AFM Islander patrol aircraft. (Picture Estelle Calleja)

Frontex anti-immigration patrols in the waters between Libya, Malta and Italy, have been delayed by technical hitches between participating states.

The patrols were due to have started at the beginning of this month, but no fresh date has been set yet.

The patrols by the EU's border control agency were this year supposed to cover nine months, following the approval of a bigger budget for Frontex.

Last week, Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni said that joint Italian-Libyan patrols within Libyan waters would start on May 15.

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Comments

Noel Enriquez (on 7/4/09)
FRONTEX is a farce, the public knows it and our politicians fail to understand. Maybe procrastination is the government's best stance. Anyway, we got used to it, so I prefer to write about the phptpgraph instead and say that this is a very beautiful picture. I wish I could have a large version of it.
v.pulis (on 7/4/09)
Italian and libyan joint patrols will start in May. And on that day snow will fall on the sahara, pigs will fly, Lucifer will serve up ice cream in hell and the sun will rise in the West. Wanna bet?
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI (on 7/4/09)
If Malta were not in the European Union, Malta would not be considered as Europe for the illegal immigrant and therefore not enticing enough to capsize boats for. Government would have been able to decide what to do without EU obligations

Now that we are in the EU, we are faced with these migrants that find life in Malta far better than in their own countries. Free medication, food, shelter and pocket money equivalent to a couple of months wages back home. All paid for from our taxes. We are unable to act before getting EU approval. Any EU suggestions so far have been useless, Frontex a big joke, and our political parties do not even reach consensus about tackling the solution.

With the problem on a steady rise one wonders what the EU considers as being urgent. My past comment referred to the EU urgency in the spring hunting issue. Considering Birdlfie and its partners have been so sucessful in bringing the case to court so quickly. It might be a good idea to get them and their foreign "birdwatchers" to look out for these migrants.

IT IS MIGRATION AND DEFINITELY ILLEGAL!!!

.
A.Gauci Cunningham (on 7/4/09)
As I have said and will keep repeating if our government keeps treating the whole situation with kid gloves and keeps being more interested in shooting down anything that J.Muscat decides to say then do its job when it matters most then it's of no use blaming the EU!!! Yes taking a tough stand might dent our relationship with a few countries and might eventually ruffle the feathers of a few ( for a couple of months mind you!!) but in the long term it'll be to our benefit!! But it seems that chiding J.Muscat for not going to some 'pontifikal" and rubberstamping your opponents with that henious crime of 'racism" is more important for some!!!
Michelle Dali (on 7/4/09)
@ Mark Mifsud Bonnici

I have to agree with you on this one. They don't seem to care that some 300 people were killed unnecessarily on Libya's shores last week because of illegal human trafficking to Europe, and yet they make all the fuss about bird migration over Malta!
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI (on 7/4/09)
FORGET ABOUT PRIORITY TO ILLEGAL HUMAN MIGRATION THE EU ARE MORE INTERESTED IN GIVING BIRD MIGRATION OVER MALTA TOP PRIORITY.

WHO SAID THE EU IS NOT ONE BIG JOKE!!!!!!
john fenech (on 7/4/09)
The last three sentences are of special interest!

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/homepage/ >> Strong Libya job market lures Maghreb workers

Saturday, 28 March, 2009: A sandy wind blows everything in the city of Tripoli; the sand of the beach surrounding the city mixes with the sand of the desert. But for the many Maghreb and African workers who have converged on Libya, the sand is no deterrent to the prospect of returning home with wealth from a country that has gone in just a few years from an isolated North African nation to one boasting visible signs of economic growth. The sand-swept land has been transformed into a giant workshop of new construction. Last week, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an A- long-term currency rating to Libya... [Magharebia]


john fenech (on 7/4/09)
The Colonel’s vision as regard responsibility and commitment and thus his philosophy;
In šā' Allāh > If God wills
http://www.energyintel.com/ >> The Italian connection:

Saturday, 4 April, 2009: Immigration is a hot political issue in Italy, and one that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has proved a master of exploiting. The two countries have engaged in on-off spats for years over the flow of African migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from Libya's shores, which seems to vary according to what benefits Libya can extract. For Tripoli, one clear result was the European Union's decision in 2004 to lift sanctions on Libya, including an arms embargo, with Italian support. Another was the $5 billion Italy-Libya friendship treaty agreed last year, under which Italian companies -- funded by a tax on energy giant Eni -- should invest $250 million annually over 20 years in Libyan infrastructure projects. [Energy Intelligence]

Continued.../ and some more reasons...
M. Busuttil (on 7/4/09)
Nice modern plane :) I think this is the same plane I saw on tv during the announced flypass of the Maltese army planes during the President's ceremony last Saturday :-) Was watching all the people staring at the sky and then this old relique passed......Only in Malta
Franco Farrugia (on 7/4/09)
Why is it that many people envisaged that this would happen?
It is all right to speak out against 'racism' but we mustn't fuel the situation, must we, with empty promises!
John Pisani (on 7/4/09)
What do FFFF stand for with regards to Frontex??? Check the below URL and see if I am right.

http://johnpisani.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/il-farsa-u-l-fjask-tal-ue/
Joanne Micallef (on 7/4/09)
@ Mr kenneth Galea - I too am sceptical, but I prefer to cling to the hope that the much awaited Italian- Libyan patrols will start and that this silent invasion will decline to only a boatload here and there.
lgalea (on 7/4/09)
The eu is just a lot of hot air as is AFFRONTEX which is just a ferry service for illegal immigrants
Charles Sammut (on 7/4/09)
Some good news at last. We are better off without the Frontex patrols, they only serve to shepherd boats to Malta.

As for joint Italy/Libya patrols, it will not happen. The Libyans don't want them for reasons we all know and as for the Italians, I think I would prefer them as my adversaries than my friends.
A Borg (on 7/4/09)
It is false to believe that the EU wants to stop the illegal migration. Some time ago, round about August 2007 there was a feature on Euro News (the EU official News Channel) about the dwindling EU populations. It was complete with graphics showing birth rates in all the EU countries. They went on to say that this will have a bad effect on the EU economy and that the solution to this was through the importation of so many million immigrants from Africa and so many million immigrants from Asia.

All this was explained graphically with maps showing Europe Africa and Asia complete with arrows showing from where the migrants are to come

It did not seem to enter their minds that one of the reasons why populations dwindle, is because of the economic problems families are encountering to live on a decent standard of living.
Surly this program was not made in the interest of the common EU citizen! It only targeted the interest of the big companies looking for cheap labour.

So when I hear about Frontex, Burden Sharing, etc. I consider it all as gimmicks or as the Italians say ‘E' tutta una messa in scena’
Kenneth Galea (on 7/4/09)
@ Joanne Micallef
Are you convinced that the joint Italian and Libyan partrols are going to start by mid May? To be honest with you I am NOT convinced at all.
This whole thing is a laugh and no one is willing to solve this crisis. And yes it is easier said than done to solve this mess but the EU and in particular the UNHCR do not seem to be even trying to solve this crisis. Frontex is in shambles anyway.
Mike Magri (on 7/4/09)
.. D-E-L-A-Y-E-D... Sine Die Ehhhhh...!!!

Nice picture of the plane flying over the clear blue waters....!!
Michelle Dali (on 7/4/09)
Perhaps this is not such a bad thing since the head of Frontex himself last year admitted that it has only served as a pull factor for illegal immigration, ensuring that the overcrowded boats are towed safely into Malta.

Maybe the fact that the free ferry service for illegal immigrants crossing from Africa to Europe is not available will make people think twice before they pay criminals to get them on those rickety boats which sometimes only take them to a watery grave.

In an ideal world, the human traffickers would be put out of business completely if displaced Africans can be persuaded to apply for asylum in their neighbouring country, rather than risk their lives to get to Europe, which at the moment is experiencing its own huge problems due to the global recession.
Keith D'Amato (on 7/4/09)
Delay jew le mux xorta qatt ma ghamiltu xejn !
Joanne Micallef (on 7/4/09)
If I remember correctly the same thing happened last year. Anyway since we had an increase in arrivals due to the Frontex patrols, it would be best if they did not start at least until the Italian-Libyan patrols start in May.
J.Borg (on 7/4/09)
So Simon Busuttil's baby....as he always say isn't performing well///////what a laugh

No wonder he's worried about the 2nd seat...he should be worried also about the 1st as well...
Etienne Bonanno (on 7/4/09)
Haha. What a surprise!

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