Massive asylum pressures on Malta

The news that Malta is likely to face an uphill struggle on illegal immigration in the next six months under the incoming Swedish Presidency of the EU (June 26) is indeed unexpected considering the load being shouldered by our country.

Asylum trends statistics for 2008, as they result in a June 2009 publication by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service of The Netherlands, reveal that when considered according to country area size, "Malta received by far and away the largest number of asylum applications in Europe: 8.254 per 1.000 sq km, more than 100 times more than the EU average (55 per 1.000 sq km)". Cyprus and Belgium ranked second and third at a large distance with about 10 times more applications than the EU average. The five countries - France, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Greece - that received most applications in 2008 in absolute terms, received also more than the EU average compared to their country size.

When it comes to the number of asylum applications in 2008 related to population size, Malta is again at the top of the list.

It received most applications in relation to its population size: 6.349 applications per million inhabitants, 13.2 times more than the EU average (481 applications per million inhabitants). Cyprus (x9) and Sweden (x5.6) are ranked second and third.

The story goes on: The statistics regarding the number of asylum applications in 2008 related to GDP size (in purchasing power standard) arranged in decreasing order, show Malta on top once more.

Indeed, Malta, Cyprus and Sweden were the numbers one, two and three, with 16.9 and 9.8 and 4.6 times respectively more applications in relation to GDP size than the EU average.

The publication also includes an overview of all indicators of country size (area, population and GDP) related to number of asylum applications in 2008. "It reveals that in 2008 Malta received in Europe the far and away largest number of asylum applications in relation to its country size when taking the three indicators of country size together (59.6 times more than average in the EU). The distance with the other European countries is massive: Cyprus and Belgium ranked second and third receiving an average of 9.9 and 5.1 times more applications in relation to their country size than the EU average."

Considering all the above, one really hopes that Sweden understands and supports well enough Malta's desire to deepen talks on the concept of responsibility/burden sharing.