EU considers tightening border controls

The European Commission is considering tightening its rules on border control in a new twist to the current influx of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from North Africa towards Malta and Italy,

However, it made it clear its proposals would not hamper the freedom of movement of its citizens, one of the main pillars of European integration. Tomorrow it will unveil a new communication on migration, which will suggest an array of legal initiatives to be discussed and possibly decided upon at the next EU summit meeting in June. Commission president José Manuel Barroso said more checks at EU borders “is a possibility”.

Responding to a joint letter sent by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Barroso said the EU agreed more should be done to develop a Common European Asylum System but emphasised this would need the backing of all member states.

Italy and France last week asked the Commission to initiate a revision of the EU’s borderless travel regime – known as the Schengen agreement – so that member states could trigger special arrangements to impose new checks at their borders aimed at keeping out illegal immigrants.

The proposals followed a spat between Italy and France on whether thousands of illegal immigrants arriving in Lampedusa from Tunisia could be allowed to move freely in the EU.

Mr Barroso said although theclosure of borders for illegal immigration purposes “could be a possibility”, this could not in any way be interpreted as the imposition of new restrictions on free movement for EU citizens.

Malta was last week hesitant to take a formal position on whether it agreed with new border rules.

However, sources close to the Commission told The Times that their imposition “may not be in Malta’s interests”, as migrants landing in Malta have their eyes set on other countries, such as France and Germany. In his letter, Mr Barroso agreed on the need to give the EU’s border agency, Frontex, more assets and capabilities to control the flow of migrants from North Africa to Europe.

He also said the EU was working on a plan to provide economic help to North African countries, from where most illegal immigrants for Malta are departing, in exchange for agreements to take back those caught entering the EU illegally.