Ivan Camilleri Brussels
Rescued immigrants to disembark at the 'closest safe port'
Frontex will cover all the expenses related to this year's mission
The Maltese army should be getting a helping hand from Frontex. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Illegal immigrants rescued by the EU's sea patrols will be disembarked at the nearest safe port when the Frontex missions finally get underway this week, The Sunday Times has learnt.
After months of disagreement that delayed this year's operation, the patrols off the coast of Malta are due to begin after Italy and Malta resolved their differences over the rules of engagement.
The so-called Nautilus IV mission was due to start last month but had to be postponed due to disagreement between Malta and Italy over who is responsible for hosting illegal immigrants picked up at sea.
Following intense negotiations held at the EU agency's headquarters in Warsaw last week, agreement was reached and the €10 million mission is now ready to start. Frontex will cover all the expenses related to this year's mission.
A senior Commission official said: "--The rules of engagement agreed upon dictate that the assets involved in this year's mission will have to respect the rules of the mission's host country."
This means that all illegal immigrants encountered by Frontex will be coordinated by Malta and disembarked at the closest safe port - in line with the international conventions which Malta is party to.
The mission will be held outside Malta's vast search and rescue area and will serve as additional help to southern Mediterranean countries in the fight against human trafficking.
Malta's maritime squadron will be taking part in the mission. Germany will be deploying two helicopters while Luxembourg will be dispatching an aircraft.
The other two member states participating in the mission, Italy and Finland, will be deploying experts to Malta.
This year's mission should also be beefed up through the launch of joint patrols between Italy and Libya, scheduled to start next month, monitoring the north African country's territorial waters. According to Italy's Home Affairs Minister, Roberto Maroni, this mission will stop illegal immigrants reaching Italy from Libyan shores by the summer.
In recent months, Italy has tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent illegal immigrants from landing on Lampedusa but hundreds departing from Libya still reached the island on rickety boats.
Lampedusa is the closest European territory to Libya and immigrants and traffickers see the island as a stepping stone to mainland Europe. In order to try to close off this route, the Italian authorities said the island was no longer safe as its reception and detention centres were full.
Malta objected to the new policy, directed by Mr Maroni, and stood its ground recently after over 140 immigrants were rescued by the Turkish cargo ship, Pinar E, just 40 miles away from Lampedusa. After a diplomatic stand-off, the immigrants were eventually allowed to land in Sicily by the Italian government.
In an interview with The Sunday Times today, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici lambasts Frontex, saying that it lacks a Mediterranean vision.
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David Seychell
Apr 27th 2009, 17:07
@Patrick Cilia Open your eyes Mr Cilia, the illegal immigrants arrivals started just before we joined the EU. Had we not joined the EU, they would have never come here. You don't need to be a "genius" to know this simple fact.
P Debono
Apr 27th 2009, 08:24
"Germany will be deploying two helicopters while Luxembourg will be dispatching an aircraft." Flok jibghatulna dan l-imbarazz ahjar jaghmlulna favur akbar u jiehdulna xi hames t'elef klandestin. Imma ma tarax, il-burden-sharing huwa "voluntary"!!!!
Ramon Casha
Apr 27th 2009, 06:44
"the Italian authorities said the island was no longer safe as its reception and detention centres were full" If things were that easy we'd just declare that Malta's detention centres are also full and take them all the way to Sicily.
Raphael Dingli
Apr 27th 2009, 03:42
Are they illegal immigrants or asylum seekers?
victor vella
Apr 26th 2009, 21:10
I have read the article 6 times and I have only seen that the only ship taking part are the Maltese maritime squadron, what experts are the Italians sending? and Finland do they know what an illegal imigrant looks like? Luxembourg would be sending an aircraft ok that would help locating the boats and Germany 2 helicopters again for emergency , but these would land any imigrants in Malta won't they. Then would our boats be allowed in Lampedusa to off load migrants? I think we are being seen off ala Grande Dr Mifsud Bonnici .Italy has a navy, France and UK have a navy where are they?What would Spain be doing.Where are our stregth when it comes to the EU? I think I am right in stating that our MEPS are only there for the money and the fun.
Eugenio Taliana
Apr 26th 2009, 20:48
I cannot understand the role that this frontex mission will be achieving - one thing that comes to my mind is that whenever a frontex boat meets with one full of illegal immigrants they will tell them: "Hi, there get on board our boat, it is much bigger and safer than yours, and we have food and clothing . . . . and the next safe port is Sicily, Malta, wherever - let us take you there"- which, if this is the case, will make it easier for them to reach the other shore. Can somebody explain what is exactly the frontex mission?
Joanne Micallef
Apr 26th 2009, 19:54
Guess we'll just have to wait and see. I personally have no faith in the Frontex patrols as I have a feeling that thanks to these patrols Malta will have to accommodate an even larger influx of illegal immigrants than it did last year
JF Vassallo Ebejer
Apr 26th 2009, 16:25
How will the Maltese authorities know the real location from where immigrants are picked up by an Italian naval vessel?
How will we know, for sure, whether Malta is indeed the nearest safe port?
Will we be relying on the word of the captains of the rescuing vessels, or will we have Maltese officers on each vessel?
Franco Xuereb
Apr 26th 2009, 15:31
Summer is approaching..........and here we go again with Frontex..........we are just a laughing stock on the Africans who are waiting to cross to Europe.
In my opinion the role of Frontex should be ONLY to prevent and stop the influx of the illegal immigrants and thus not to assets and help the Africans a safety crossing, as we are just encourage more to come.
Until such day were the Authorities will take the decision that the influx of Africans must turn back from where they had left and if need be to use force to guide they back.
If such thing will not be enforced, then please stop this nonsense of frontex as it had showed in previous years that this method did not work but on the contrarily just encourage more to cross as petrol boats will be waiting to assets and thus make sure that the Africans are taken to a safe place, and not to mention that this is wasting the tax payer money.
In that case it would be much cheaper to organize perhaps a ferry once a week with a red carpet treatment of course,
Just Repatriate that's the only solution before it's too late.
Brian Maloret
Apr 26th 2009, 15:01
Ands thats how it should.
J.Spiteri
Apr 26th 2009, 14:52
One assumes that Libyan and Tunisian ports are also included as 'closest safe ports' , because if not, its quite obvious that the only other options are Malta and Italy. In this case, Frontex will only serve as a shuttle service between Africa and Europe, with Malta and Lampedusa bearing the brunt of the problem.
According to Roberto Moroni, ' this mission will stop illegal immigrants reaching ITALY from Libyan shores '. Will it also stop them from reaching Malta?
Unless a repatriation agreement is reached with Libya especially, neither Frontex nor any other mission will succeed in stemming this problem. Repatriation will also discourage prospective immigrants from using this route.
lgalea
Apr 26th 2009, 13:32
"Lampedusa is the closest European territory to Libya and immigrants and traffickers see the island as a stepping stone to mainland Europe. In order to try to close off this route, the Italian authorities said the island was no longer safe as its reception and detention centres were full."
This article headline reads,
"Rescued immigrants to disembark at the 'closest safe port'"
Therefore all the illegal immigrants will be brought to Malta because Italy has declared that Lampedusa is no longer safe.
Get it CMB?
"In an interview with The Sunday Times today, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici lambasts Frontex, saying that it lacks a Mediterranean vision."
How could it when the mainland EU countries are not interested in our dire situation and they will certainly not accept to share our burden? Would anyone in his right state of mind think that anyone who wants to stop illegal immigration will help illegal immigration by accepting our illegal immigrants?
joe camenzuli
Apr 26th 2009, 12:35
Where is the nearest safe port? Italy stated that Lampedusa isn't safe as its detention centre is full. Therefore the nearest safe closest port will be Malta. Standby for a great influx of illegal imigrants.
Patrick Cilia
Apr 26th 2009, 11:25
Had Malta not joined the EU, we would still face the problem of illegal immigration without the possibility of fighting for OUR rights among the 26 member states.......this is one real benefit for membership or perhaps there is a genius out there who can solve the problem some other way...we are waiting for this person to come forward with the final solution!
louise vella
Apr 26th 2009, 10:52
"All illegal immigrants encountered by Frontex will be ... disembarked at the closest safe port"
If the closest safe port is in Libya, from where the problem starts, will they be disembarked in Libya? If the closest safe port is in Tunisia, will they be disembarked in Tunisia, or will Tunisia ask for €100 000 for each illegal immigrant it takes?
"In an interview with the Sunday Times today, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici lambasts Frontex, saying it lacks a Mediterranean vision".
How often have spokesmen of GonziPN welcomed the arrival of Frontex, hailed as the solution of Malta's illegal immigrant crisis? Has anyone kept the newspapers cuttings of Simon Busuttil's speeches on Frontex?
And then the most important question: Has GonziPN's new-found determination to stem the illegal immigrant influx in our best national interest anything to do with the coming election to the European Parliament? Will it continue after 6 June?