Malta and Italy have to solve migration problem together - Tajani
European Commission vice-president Antonio Tajani said today that Malta and Italy had to solve the problem of illegal migration together.
Addressing a joint press conference with Transport Minister Austin Gatt, the vice-president, who is also Commissioner for Tranport, said that illegal migration, which was causing friction between Malta and Italy, was a European problem. These two countries, he said, were on the frontier of Europe so the responsibility for illegal migration could not be shoulded by them alone.
He said he supported vice-president Jacques Barrot's idea that all states had to help share the burden by taking a quota of refugees. He also spoke in favour of repatriation except in the case of political refugees. The European Commission, he said, did not want these people to be persecuted or killed for political reasons.
Frontex had to be beefed up and reinforced and Europe had to have a common policy for stability in Africa. If the EU ignored the problem, Europe would, in future, face an influx of people that it would not be able to control any longer. "So we have to think about the problem now," he said.
Malta and Italy, he said, were most exposed and the two countries had to solve the problem together. The meeting between Roberto Maroni and Carm Mifsud Bonnici in Brussels in the presence of Mr Barrot was a step in the right direction and he supported Malta and Itlay's appeal to the EU to intervene.
Dr Gatt said that Malta had benefitted from EU membership with regards to transport getting 141 million euros up to 2012 for the Ten-T project, a trans-European network for transport, and another 34 million euros for the Motorways of the Sea, a project aimed at introducing new intermodal maritime-based logistics chains in Europe.
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lgalea
May 9th 2009, 08:31
edwin formosa
How about another referendum on whether we should continue with eu membership edwin?
Guess the CHICKENS don't want to do it because they know the answer.
Joseph Grech
May 8th 2009, 19:53
Sorry I made a mistake earlier! (see below) The video clip I received and am passing on is as below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
I have already sent a corrected version to The Times but so far the comment has not appeared. My earlier mistake is regretted.
edwin formosa
May 8th 2009, 18:47
You are right lgalea We are funding all EU institutions and budgets with our contribution. Not even Sant knew this then. He mildly put it that we will get just 1.5 million. You are more precise. And Muscat followed you. ........but no one else did.
Joseph V. Grech
May 8th 2009, 18:30
Someone sent me this video (careful - the I is a capital i): http://www.youtube.com/watchv=6-3X5hIFXYU If the situation in Europe as a result of illegal immigration will really be what this video describes than it is high time E.U. leaders such as European Commission vice-President Antonio Tajani meet urgently to discuss what needs to be done to prevent the take-over of Europe. There's no need to comment further. Just watch the video.
Charles Sammut
May 8th 2009, 17:22
"Malta had benefitted from EU membership with regards to transport getting 141 million euros up to 2012 for the Ten-T project, a trans-European network for transport" Where is this money going? That should be enough to fill the potholes with €1 coins! Shame.
Antoine Grima
May 8th 2009, 17:01
It's time to stop talking and start acting . Meanwhile untill the EU finishes talking , we should do the same as Italy and send them back
J Farrugia
May 8th 2009, 16:38
No we need only cynics to say these honourable words.
E. Azzopardi
May 8th 2009, 16:38
That is SOLIDARITY for you!!!!! Instead of trying to help, they tell us to solve the EU's problems now !!! Because this is their problem too and Mr Tajani admiited this. How things changed since 2003 !!!!! Bravo !!!!! OH, Jacques Barrot and all the bigs shots have a lot of ideas (even ten year olds have lots of ideas) but it seems they just blub and do nothing, nichts, niente, rien !!!! How we were told that it is all about SOLIDARITY. Remember, you must remember.
You are what you do and NOT what you say.
Joe Micallef
May 8th 2009, 16:34
Malta and Italy alone cannot solve the problem - this is a world issue. We are already approaching world overpopulation if everyone stays in his country of origin let alone if there is mass displacement to restricted areas.
What may be needed is protectorate status in maverick countries and a world Marshall Plan.
Franco Farrugia
May 8th 2009, 16:34
Ehem ... are these supposed to be words of wisdom? Did we need Tajani to say this?
john micallef
May 8th 2009, 16:33
and where is the EU? i guess he should have said 'alone' instead of 'together'
d. borg
May 8th 2009, 16:26
Same old rhetoric!
lgalea
May 8th 2009, 16:26
First of all Italy should stop trying to lump illegal immigrants on Malta.
Secondly there was someone who yesterday made a suggestion for joint Italy-Malta flights starting from Italy with a stop-over in Malta to pick our ILLEGAL immigrants and sharing the expenses in the ration that each country sends back. That is what should be done by the two countries Mr Tajani and not burden sharing which will entice more ILLEGAL immigrants to try their luck. Repatriate ALL ILLEGAL immigrants not squabbling ourselves.
"Dr Gatt said that Malta had benefited from EU membership with regards to transport getting 141 million euros up to 2012 for the Ten-T project, a trans-European network for transport, and another 34 million euros for the Motorways of the Sea, a project aimed at introducing new intermodal maritime-based logistics chains in Europe."
What has this got to do with ILLEGAL immigrants?
I hope that the message is not that since we are getting eu funds (which are part of the money we give to the eu being given back to us with all strings attached) we should accept ILLEGAL immigrants.
philip pace
May 8th 2009, 16:22
HOW!