Italy today joined Malta in appealing to the European Union to oblige member states to share the burden by taking in migrants.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before a meeting with EU counterparts in Luxembourg that recent proposals from the executive European Commission on asylum were "interesting, but ... not sufficient".

"We asked for obligatory burden sharing, the proposal foresees a voluntary system -- so those who don't want to needn't take in any refugees," he told reporters.

In a Financial Times interview published today, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi called the Commission proposals a step forward, but expressed disappointment that fellow EU states had not agreed to take on asylum seekers.

Maroni said Libya, to where Italy has returned migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean, had given him concrete requests for help from Europe to fight illegal immigration and he would pass these to EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot.

Barrot has criticised Italy's recent decision to return migrant ships intercepted on the voyage across the Mediterranean from Libya, saying it did not distinguish between illegal migrants and those deserving asylum.

He has proposed that the European Union work with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to set up screening centres for asylum seekers in Africa to stop them falling into the clutches of human-trafficking networks.

He has urged UNHCR to work with Libya to establish a scheme for receiving and protecting asylum seekers that meets international standards.

Maroni has argued that Italy's policy is working and the arrival of migrant boats from north Africa has practically stopped, but it has been sharply criticised by non-governmental organisations dealing with refugees.

Yesterday, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, a network of 69 refugee assisting organisations in 30 countries, said Italy should face sanctions under EU rules for "flagrant violation" of human rights principles.