So Malta would not be left alone

A. E. Abela

Apr 30th 2010, 17:03

"Malta has also received quite a lot of money from the EU in order to help and so there are many things going on." Unquote.
Ok, well and good, can the auditor general publish a breakdown of all the money received and who the beneficiaries were? It is important that we are assured that Maltese tax payer received the money and thus the tax payer is being refunded for this expense.

David Buttigieg

Apr 30th 2010, 15:42

IGalea,

YOUR country, (mine too by the way) voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining the EU, if you remember well, an undeniable fact! That means we voted to abide by the regulations that govern the EU too!

If you didn't want to you should have voted against, which I assume you did! Too bad for you and thankfully for us the majority told YOU were to stick it!

I repeat, if you don't like being an EU citizen, tough luck! Get OUT!

Otherwise I suggest you get used to it, or vote for a party that wants out of the EU next election!

Ooops looks like you will have to create your own party! Good luck!

Joe Grech

Apr 30th 2010, 15:28

@Sean Grima - I wonder WHY you assume this rather unreasonable stance of yours in the illegal immigration issue. Are you an illegal immigrant yourself? Or are you in the employ of an NGO that preaches on behalf of all the illegal arrivals?
If that is the case one quite understands your rather biased way of looking at things.
I personally believe it is alright for the Maltese to help real Asylum entitled immigrants but we need to stop there; we cannot be shouldered with the Financial, Ethnic and Social problems resulting through unreasonable demands on our gernerosity. We just cannot extend a helping hand to ALL those arriving illegally. I hope you are intelligent enough to understand these points.
Also I think it is ethically WRONG to offer help to people breaking the law and departing from their own country, perhaps abandoning their families, in an effort to improve themselves economically. Helping the illegals = Rewarding their illegal operating helpers!
But I assume your blinkered way of looking at this issue prevents you from considering such trivialities! It's about time you pull the nation's rope dear Do-Gooder. Your comments do tend to rub salt into people's wounds....consider that please!

Louise Vella

Apr 30th 2010, 14:46

III
"I've already written a letter to the Libyan Foreign Minister". Cecilia Malmstrom and the Libyan Foreign Minister may be good pen friends. But the EU needs to reverse its role with UNHCR. Up to now the EU has been taking its orders from UNHCR. It's time the EU and Cecilia Malmstrom started giving orders to UNHCR and told it to set up a proper UNHCR office in Libya to process asylum applications. Then those accepted will be taken by EU countries on a voluntary basis. Indeed why only EU countries? Why not send the accepted refugees to other countries of Africa where they will be in their natural environment? And the EU, instead of giving money to Maltese NGOs, can give the money to the UNHCR's Libya office.

matthew tanti

Apr 30th 2010, 14:45

i do not agree with cecilia malmstrom's opinion, but as others have pointed out lgalea's comments are downright rude and offensive.

Louise Vella

Apr 30th 2010, 14:45

II

"What about more burden sharing and solidarity?"

This is the answer Cecilia Malmstrom did NOT give: "When it comes to solidarity and burden sharing, every country should folllow the Swedish model, that is, speak well, preach the best and holiest things and then quietly do what is in his country's interests. Remember during World War II Sweden proclaimed its neutrality and then sold arms to both sides. That is the Swedish model. In the case of illegal immigrants, Sweden will go on preaching to you, the little men of southern Europe, about human rights. But don't expect us to take any of them. Indeed if any of them - believing what we say that Sweden is heaven on earth - escape and come to Sweden, we shall send them back to you, as we have already done with 550 of them".

Louise Vella

Apr 30th 2010, 14:42

I
Swedish EU commissioner for illegal immigrants Cecilia Malmstrom said: "We are also trying to equip Frontex better to conduct its operations"!! If its operations are meant to make it a ferry service transporting boatfuls of illegal immigrants from Libyan waters to the shores of southern Europe, it's better not to equip it at all. Frontex should be a coastguard with teeth with the mission of pushing back the boats. Frontex should take over this role from Italy. Then it will be worth joining and equipping.

She adds: "Malta has also received quite a lot of money from the EU". Malta will not be bought with money to become the EU's dumping ground for illegal immigrants, the equivalent of Australia's Christmas Island. That was what Frattini had once proposed and seems to be still the real intention behind the EU. Besides, can Cecilia Malmstrom tell us how much of that EU money has gone to Maltese NGOs who represent the interests of illegal immigrants?

Emanuel Cilia Debono

Apr 30th 2010, 14:12

By now it is fairly obvious that Frontex missions have failed to stop the tragedy of irregular migration across the Mediterranean. The Italy Libya arrangement . though, may present gross disadvantages from the humanitarian side.
In my opinion a fair and lasting solution must be achieved on a pan- European basis and it entails :
(i) assisting the countries of ( migrants') origin to achieve political and economic stability together with a fair internal distribution of resources so that the need for migration be reduced and abusive human trafficking eliminated;
(ii) Where feasible , helping individual migrants to resettle successfully in their country of origin; and
(ii) identifying migrants genuinely in need of asylum and helping them integrate in a receiving host country .
These objectives carry a substantial burden on a small country like ours - if it is made to shoulder alone . Hence my urgent plea for the E.U. Member States to stop talking and replace ways of burden shifting by effective burden sharing.
The present Frontex rules of engagement make a mockery of the institution and rush the present concept of Frontex Missions to hasty end.
Where
Helping

A. Grech

Apr 30th 2010, 13:58

Dear Ms. Malmstrom,
you say that the Frontex missions would be beneficial to Malta, yet you don't say how. If Malta should host the missions, and hundreds, if not thousands, of immigrants were to be brought to our islands, what studies were done by the EU to see what effect this would have on the population, once the immigrants get a work permit? i doubt there is enough work for us citizens, imagine some 4000+ immigrants coming each year.
I would also like to ask you what would happen if the illegal immigrants would not be able to find a job, who would pay for social security, housing, crime. how would these people live, how would they survive?
Personally i think that the other EU countries consider Malta and the Maltese as expendable, not even a country, and that the EU wants to use our islands as a filter of immigrants to select the best and leave us with the less educated (no offence to immigrants). How many times did Malta help defend the European continent, paying the price with the blood of its people?! our flag is proof of this, and what do we get as a thank you...

Joseph V. Grech

Apr 30th 2010, 13:53

@E.U. Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom -
What a hot potato you have! Please stop trying to look efficient when you do not really know where to begin....
The E.U. different institutions should stop bickering amongst themselves. How can Europe's serious financial and Disjointment problems be efficiently addressed if it continues to put immigrants' interests first and foremost?
This notwithstanding the serious Social and Economic repercusions that have to be shouldered by the E.U.'s own citizens! How shameful!
Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Malta, etc. have all been hit hard by irresponsible and illegal immigration from a number of areas but especially Africa. No wonder nobody wants any more illegals - when you ''mix'' different cultures, religions, ethnic diversities, you are bound to end up with serious problems!
Europe needs to say NO to more unlawful immigration and repatriate all those who abandoned their own country to seek self improvement elsewhere.
Any entity preaching Humanitarian Rights should itself pay for hospitality for these people. It may be OK to offer hospitality to REAL Asylum entitled people but Europe needs to push back all the others.
Europe is sinking fast. Stop that by concerted action not inefficient blah, blah, blah!

Evarist Saliba

Apr 30th 2010, 13:13

Comments like those of lgalea are a disgrace, totally devoid of any positive element, and I hope that no one will take his rudeness as typical of the Maltese people.

That does not mean that I am satisfied with Commissioner Malmstorm answers. It is true that this issue was discussed under another EU Commissioner but now it is her responsibility. The core objection to the new rules under which Frontex will operate is that illegal immigrants picked up by Frontex will finish in the country hosting it unless other states accept them in terms of the current international law.. This was decided when it was known that Malta was ready to host Frontex, a position which made sense because of the island's geographic position.

Ms Malmstorm's assurance that rules could be changed is far from reassuring in the light of the dismal track record of the EU when it comes to the application of the principle of burden sharing where illegal migration is concerned.

I urge government to maintain its position and refuse to be fobbed off with empty promises.

Mario Attard

Apr 30th 2010, 13:11

Attention Ms. Cecilia Malmstrom:

Malta is already over burdened with illegal immigrants. We have done more than most of the EU countries and this to the detriment of the Maltese people. So if you think that we shall accept your plan to turn Malta in one big concentration camp, you're wrong. I am glad that we are not participating in this year's ferry service called Frontex. I am sure that I am speaking for most of the Maltese people. We are fed up with the invasion!

Joanne Micallef

Apr 30th 2010, 11:55

I want to discuss more with my Maltese counterparts about this decision. I still have to find out whether this is because so far no illegal immigrants have come to Malta this year or whether it's because of other reasons. However, I think it will be a pity if Malta is not participating as the island has a lot to gain from Frontex.

This paragraph says it all, if Ms Malmstrom cannot put 2 and 2 together when it comes to tiny over populated Malta vs the thousands and thousands that we would end up lumping if we were to host the Frontex Mission than yes we can safely say that Malta is alone on the illegal immigration issue.

Mario Tabone-Vassallo

Apr 30th 2010, 11:38

For foreign consumption: Shame on you European Union for taking Malta for a ride. Shame on you Malmstrom. Thank you Italy. If it were not for your actions we would be submerged. Thanks must be given to the countries that helped, in particular the USA, so so far away from Europe

lgalea

Apr 30th 2010, 09:52

ps
With friends like you and the eu who needs enemies?

lgalea

Apr 30th 2010, 09:51

We do not care what you think about illegal immigration eu petty dictator Malmstrom. You know where you can shove your opinion and orders and if you don't I am ready to tell you in not so nice words. If you think illegal immigrants are so good just take all the illegal immigrants to YOUR OWN COUNTRY Malmstrom and stop trying to lump them on us. People. this is what the eu is all about. SHAFTING Malta and Maltese citizens with their unwanted problems. Time to get out from the eu colonialist dictatorship.