In the wake of the crisis in Libya, it had been announced that the European Commission was taking the initiative to encourage member states to show “real solidarity” with Malta in dealing with the immigration problem through new pledges of resettlement. The news injected a certain amount of fresh hope in the Maltese people. But what happened in Brussels last week has, yet again, left Malta in the lurch.

At a special conference held on Thursday, EU states were asked to participate better in the pilot scheme introduced specifically for Malta in 2008. The response was far from satisfactory and, though perhaps not surprised, given past experience, many Maltese were bitterly disappointed.

At the end of the day, only 10 EU member states volunteered to take people in need of international protection. The majority, including some of the larger EU countries, made no pledges. Moreover, the promises made mean a mere 323 refugees will be taken from Malta.

Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici admitted that “this is not a lot”. Nonetheless, trying to be optimistic, he described the outcome as “a first good step” adding Malta will obviously continue to lobby, together with the Commission, to persuade more member states to help Malta.

This is essential because, despite all the talk about solidarity, the project for Malta to date led to the relocation of fewer than 300 people and the new pledges are far short of expectations.

When European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström launched the first pledging conference especially for Malta, she recalled that member states are sovereign to make their own decisions and that the EU could not force them to show solidarity. Nonetheless, reflecting a conviction that Malta truly needs better understanding and support from the other EU states in the area of migration, Ms Malmström felt she should appeal to member states to translate their “nice words” of solidarity into concrete action by helping Malta.

However, Thursday’s end result shows once more it is very difficult to have real solidarity if support is available only in an ad hoc manner and remains entirely dependent on the will of individual member states to voluntarily offer assistance, in whatever form, at a given point in time.

The hope, therefore, is that those EU states that are perhaps far from convinced, let alone enthusiastic, about the concept of burden or, rather, responsibility sharing when dealing with migration, will change their attitude.

This is crucial also because the need to secure the adherence of all EU member states to the concept of responsibility sharing in the field of migration is not limited to the issue of the relocation of people. Member states must also act together within the context of the EU plan to update the 2005 Asylum Procedures Directive to allow the introduction of a single EU-wide system for granting and withdrawing international protection, including common safeguards for asylum seekers.

Also in this case, the EU must have sound plans ready so that member states that experience a disproportionately large number of asylum applications in relation to the size of their population get not only financial support but also quick and sufficient administrative/technical help under the European Refugee Fund and the European Asylum Support Office to enable them to comply with the directive.

The EU’s target on how to address severe migratory pressures should be a solid investment in a comprehensive response, inspired by a genuine spirit of concrete solidarity.