Twenty six beneficiaries of international protection from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan left Malta in the past two days to start a new life in the United States (21) and Poland (five).
Those who left for the United States are being resettled under the US Refugee Admissions Programme. Those who left for Poland are being resettled as part of that country’s pledge to assist Malta in the context of the Eurema II project co-financed by the European Union under the European Refugee Fund Community Actions.
With this latest departure, the United States has resettled 1,139 persons since 2007, 1,111 since the start of the Usrap in 2008. On arrival, beneficiaries are assisted by NGOs to proceed to their final destinations in various states.
Poland had committed to assist Malta at the ministerial pledging conference organised by the European Commission in May 2011.
Other European countries have also committed to relocate beneficiaries of international protection from Malta.
These include Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Relocations have already been conducted to most of these countries.