‘EU states must share immigration burden’
EU member states should be “forced” to help Malta and other southern member states in sharing the burden of irregular immigration from North Africa, particularly from Libya, according to a recent report.
The report was submitted by Nationalist MEP David Casa to the EU-ACP joint parliamentary assembly meeting in Denmark this week.
The assembly brings together MEP and MPs from 78 developing countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific and meets twice a year.
Acting as rapporteur on the impact of the recent Libyan conflict, Mr Casa underlined the need that EU member states act together to fight illegal immigration and not leave frontier countries like Malta battle it all alone.
“Migration flows resulting from the conflict are very burdensome on peripheral member states,” he said.
“Libya acts as a transit, host, as well as departure country for migrants coming in and out of the country, and effective border management must be a priority.
“It is undeniable that Malta is not able to withstand large influxes of migrants and EU member states must shoulder their responsibility in sharing this burden.”
In his report, Mr Casa called for “the formalisation of a system of ‘compulsory and irrevocable solidarity’ with member states exposed to specific and disproportionate pressures in the form of intra-EU relocation, together with greater cooperation with Libya”.
A request for compulsory burden sharing is a hotly debated matter in the EU. Apart from being impossible to achieve under present EU treaties, Brussels has no competence to force any member state to relocate immigrants or asylum seekers.
Many European countries also vehemently oppose the concept of burden sharing, even on a voluntary basis, arguing this would act as a “pull-factor” for more irregular immigrants to cross over to Europe.
The reluctance of many countries was quite evident when the European Commission set up its first intra-EU relocation pilot project specifically designed for Malta.
Despite the fact that the Commission offered handsome amounts of money for every Maltese protected migrant relocated to other member states, few EU countries took up the offer.
EU member states, particularly the northern ones, have also resisted similar initiatives to suspend the rules of asylum for those countries facing sudden influxes.
After a period of relative calm, the issue of irregular immigration in Malta is once again becoming a hot topic, as hundreds of migrants landed on the islands’ shores over the past days.
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14 Comments
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stephen koludrovic
Jun 3rd 2012, 14:04
We keep talking about burden sharing. This type of talk will never solve Africa's problems.
IMHO instead of giving billions of euros to their governments, The EU should give out micro grants to the ordinary African people so that they might work themselves out of their poverty.
Ms.D. Galea
Jun 2nd 2012, 18:34
Hnads up anyone who truely believe that anyone in the EU gives a toss for what is written in this report.
Mary Mills
Jun 2nd 2012, 18:32
This sort of 'plea' prompts the saying: 'Ghajta ta' hmar qatt ma telghet is-sema'.
Kurt Waschnig
Jun 2nd 2012, 17:07
How should it be possible to force EU member states to help Malta and other southern member states to share the burden of irregular immigration from North Africa?
This will never work and is not possible to implement.
It is a fact that hundreds of migrants landed on the islands´shores over the past day.
But every migrant must be treated with dignity and respect and Malta as a democracy cannot afford to accommodate migrants at detention centres.
Migrants have no future, no jobs in their countries and they fight daily to survive. Lot of them fear for their lives and are driven by despair and therefore they try to escape misery and poverty and look for a better life and future in Europe.
Malta and the Maltese shall be grateful to belong to the European Union and Malta benefited so much to be a member.
Most important is to welcome migrants and to show respect and again to treat them with dignity.
All detention centres must be closed immediately because migrants suffer psychologically a lot at detention centres.
One of the most important duties of the Catholic Church is to look after and take care of the needy and poor and especially of migrants.
Catholic priests who live in large presbyteries should invite migrants to live and to share with them.
That would help migrants, they would receive dignity and respect and the Catholic Church of Malta would fulfil one of the most important task to look after the poorest of the poor.
Best regards
Kurt Waschnig Oldenburg Germany
e-mail: [email protected]
carlos ellul
Jun 2nd 2012, 19:16
Germany should be grateful of being in the EU considering that it was guilty of creating a world war which butchered millions of people. Returning to the subject MALTA IS SMALL. It can't keep acting as EU's detention center in the South and unless our politicians start showing teeth regarding this invasion, then we'll end up replacing them.
Colin Stanley
Jun 3rd 2012, 12:13
agree with you 100%. mr. ellul.
Emma Xerri
Jun 4th 2012, 14:54
@Carlos Ellul
Germany is not just lucky to be in the EU, but was part of the originators of the European Union.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nf5KeC4dAs
Jessica Smith
Jun 2nd 2012, 16:48
Mr Camilleri, first of all they will not.
Secondly we never colonized them.
The big European countries colonized them so now they must take them.
Take them or we must send them back.
Christian Abela
Jun 2nd 2012, 15:33
I thought Sarkozy and Merkel stated clearly that multiculturalism has failed. Why do we still want to push it down peoples throats ? As one bright mind said many years ago - Stop them miles out. Full stop.
GL Calleja
Jun 2nd 2012, 14:33
" EU member states should be “forced” to help Malta". When pigs fly or as they say in Maltese " Hoss fl-ilma".
E. Azzopardi
Jun 2nd 2012, 14:14
I am sure I saw this release yesterday. So he is repeating it today. He can do it for ever as nobody is listening.
John Azzopoardi
Jun 2nd 2012, 13:36
The EU countries are not interested in sharing the burden of illegal migrants and why should they. That is why Malta must come up with a unitified policy to keep illegal migrants from coming to our shores once and for all. We the matlese did not create this problem so why should we be dealing with it day in and day during the spring, autumn and summer months. We are too small for this burden and we didn't ask for it. It's the same if someone comes to your house and they don't want to leave.
A Spiteri
Jun 2nd 2012, 12:44
David Casa issa??? mela qatta qalbu Simon Busutill??
Mr Michael Debono
Jun 2nd 2012, 12:08
EU countries must share the burden of illeglimmigrants! But it will remain as it is. They must share it will never be translated into they are sharing. Be sure of that.
If we were a United States then yes the burden will be compulsary shared but being just a Union of different counries does bot work that way.
Please choose the reason of your report below: