[attach id=265337 size="medium"]European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi[/attach]
Brussels warned yesterday that the Prime Minister’s stand on irregular migration was based on “misleading information” and that “push-backs would be illegal”.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told a press conference last week that if European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström felt Malta was not facing an emergency immigration situation she could ask the Swedish government (she is from Sweden) to take the irregular migrants from Malta.
Breaking tradition, as commissioners do not usually reply directly to comments made by national leaders, Ms Malmström told Times of Malta that Dr Muscat’s jibe in her regard was “extremely surprising and could mislead public opinion” about her views and the Commission’s efforts to help Malta deal with the problem.
Inviting the Prime Minister to “check the facts”, she denied expressing any concepts or opinions that could lead one to think Malta did not deserve EU solidarity or support on asylum and migration issues.
Research by Times of Malta shows the Commission had not commented on the arrival of about 300 immigrants from Libya last week and that the most recent statements had been made in 2011 on a different issue.
Two years ago, Malta and Italy had asked for an emergency mechanism in the EU treaties to be activated, obliging member states to share the burden of irregular immigrants.
On that occasion – following a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council – Ms Malmström reported that member states did not feel the situation constituted an emergency, as laid down in the treaty.
“This statement of 2011 (on a different situation) has been twisted to suggest that I don’t think the number of people arriving in Malta is high enough to deserve EU solidarity.
“Whoever suggested or reported this false statement is wrong and ill-informed,” she said.
“The comments by the Prime Minister are therefore based on misleading information. This kind of misinformation is very disappointing but I found it also very surprising that the Prime Minister reacted in such a strong way without checking the facts.”
Asked about Dr Muscat’s statement that he would consider pushing migrants back to Libya if he found no concrete EU solidarity, the Commission made it clear this would be illegal.
“Push-backs would be illegal as it is against the principle of non-refoulement of the Geneva Convention on Refugees and against the European Convention of Human Rights as confirmed in a recent judgment against Italy.”
In February 2012, the European Court of Human Rights declared that, by pushing migrants back to Libya, Italy had violated the convention and, in particular, the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibited returning migrants to countries where they could face persecution or inhuman or degrading treatment.
According to EU rules, irregular immigrants must be given the right to apply for asylum once reaching EU territory.
Despite Dr Muscat’s comments, Ms Malmström said she would remain committed to help Malta deal with migratory pressure and asylum seekers.
“I have put a lot of personal commitment in taking support initiatives to Malta, like, for example, the Eurema relocation projects through which almost 500 refugees and people with international protection have been relocated to other EU member states,” she said.
EU funding to help Malta between 2007-2013
European Refugee Fund - €6.6 million
European Integration Fund - €3.8 million
Return Fund - €4.5 million
European Borders Fund - €70.0 million