Outdated migration rules must change - Opposition Leader

The international regulations binding Malta on issues related to illegal migration were outdated and had to change, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

Speaking in Parliament during a special sitting, which was addressed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Dr Muscat said the regulations were drawn up a long time ago when the situation was completely different to what it was today.

These regulations were causing Malta to carry a burden it could not sustain: "We surely want to help those who need our help but we, as a country, cannot give what we do not have. A substantial part of this burden is the result of regulations drawn up at different times and brought about by colonial and abusive politics."

He said the international community had to crack down on the "racket" of human trafficking. The responsibility of Maltese politicians, as representatives of Maltese citizens, was to safeguard the national interest in the global context. Malta had to do this at every level, particularly in the EU.

Apart from reviewing international regulations to ensure countries did not carry a disproportionate burden, the situation could also be improved through administrative changes.

On this issue, Mr Ban told Parliament more coordination was needed to make it possible for people to lead a safe and productive life, so migration became a choice rather than a necessity. Irregular migration was a global problem that had to be addressed by all countries.

The issue of irregular migration was closely linked to that of climate change as this could cause millions of people to migrate towards Europe, as other parts of the world suffer environmental degradation. Climate change was a threat to overburdened states that were already prone to irregular migration.

He appealed to nations to work towards striking a deal at the international climate change conference in Copenhagen in December, which would debate initiatives to replace the Kyoto Protocol once this expired in 2012.

Failure to combat climate change would increase poverty and hardship, he said.

Mr Ban praised Malta for displaying "great foresight" when, in 1988, it proposed the concept of conservation of climate as part of the common concern of mankind.

"Malta is not a large country in terms of population and mileage but its presence on the international stage outweighs those metrics," Mr Ban said, showering praise on Malta for its outstanding contribution.

Over the years, Malta had made crucial political and intellectual contributions that helped generate the historic Law of the Sea Convention and the landmark Framework Convention on Climate Change, he said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi also raised the issue of irregular migration, agreeing this was closely linked to climate change. He thanked the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for its assistance.

Dr Gonzi insisted that while the government was fully committed to respecting its international obligations, it did not have enough resources to do it alone.

He mentioned the relocation schemes, in particular those with US, which saw 242 people relocated in the last year. The UN, he added, must pitch in to help Malta face this problem. Dr Gonzi paid tribute to Arvid Pardo who, at the UN Assembly, had called for international regulations to protect the resources of the sea and declare the seabed the common heritage of mankind. He also thanked David Attard who, he said, was the man behind the government's proposal for the adoption of the UN Convention on Climate Change.

Dr Gonzi referred to the historic speech made by then Foreign Affairs Minister, President Emeritus Ċensu Tabone in September 1988, when he proposed that climate change should be considered a common heritage of mankind. Then, in 1990, President Emeritus Guido de Marco was unanimously elected president of the UN General Assembly.

International climate change expert Michael Zammit Cutajar will be chairing the UN conference on the subject in Copenhagen in December.

Later in the day, Mr Ban was bestowed with an honoris causa Doctor of Laws degree at the Old University in Valletta.

He left yesterday afternoon.