The Nationalist Party said today that a proposal by Joseph Muscat to put rescued migrants on a flight to Italy was illegal under EU rules.

In a reaction, the PL said the prime minister was showing himself to be weak.

The PN said that the proposal which it said Dr Muscat made, to put 171 recently-rescued migrants on a plane to Italy (since Italy was supposed to have rescued them) was inhuman and violated international law.

The illegal nature of the proposal was shown when France was able to stop a train carrying migrants from Italy, the PN said. 

Foreigners may only travel within the Schengen area if they enter it legally, they have valid legal papers, have enough money to maintain themselves, carry a valid passport, possess a residence permit in the country they would have entered and do not pose a threat to public policy, security or public health, the PN said.

It observed that the European Commission had justified the French action.

Malta, it said, did not deserve this type of confrontational, superficial and dangerous leadership, which would undermine its credibility within the EU.

PL REACTION

The Labour Party said the prime minister and the PN were showing themselves to be weak.

It had first been said that Italy was legally obliged to rescue those 171 migrants and its failure violated international law. Silvio Berlusconi himself admitted that Italy had made a mistake.

Now the government was saying that Malta would be breaking the law if it ensured that Italy shouldered its obligations.

It appeared that the prime minister preferred the interests of others than of the Maltese, the PL said.

The situation between Italy and France showed that Italy was defending its interests, as was France. The European Commission had shown that it was not illegal for France to defend its frontier. 

The PL, too, wanted Malta to defend its interests, the party said.