Barrot to make burden-sharing proposals to EU ministers

The EU’s College of Commissioners has formally instructed Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot to present proposals to help ease the burden of illegal immigration on countries such as Malta. Immigration was discussed at a meeting of...

The EU’s College of Commissioners has formally instructed Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot to present proposals to help ease the burden of illegal immigration on countries such as Malta. Immigration was discussed at a meeting of the college today.

The proposals will be presented at a meeting of Home Affairs Ministers later this month.

They are expected to range from financial incentives for member states to share the burden of immigration, to added financial and logistical help to Libya which will go towards controlling immigration and strengthening the UNHCR office in Tripoli so that it can be in a better position to receive requests for protection by migrants.

Maltese Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici himself proposed strengthening the Tripoli UNHCR office last month.

Mr Barrot visited Malta last March for a fact-finding mission on the migration problem and promised to make proposals for the EU to ease the migration burden. He earlier also visited the island of Lampedusa.

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