The EU Commissioner responsible for immigration, Cecilia Malmstrom today promised Malta emergency funds and increased assistance for the repatriation of migrants who are not granted protection.
The promises were made during a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Emanuel Mallia in Lithuania on the fringes of a meeting of EU Home Affairs Ministers.
The Home Affairs Ministry said the minister called for solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility among the EU member states.
It was agreed that the Commission would provide concrete assistance with regard to the return of failed asylum-seekers to their countries of origin. The Commission will also assist the Maltese Government in taking additional measures to repatriate migrants who are illegally present in Malta, taking advantage of the assistance that can be provided by the Commission to overcome the practical difficulties that have been encountered so far and to expedite the return of those migrants who have no authorisation to remain in Malta.
The Home Affairs Ministry will be preparing actions to achieve this aim together with the Commission.
The minister explained the impact of the continuing illegal migration flows to Malta and pointing out that Malta and the Maltese people were feeling that they were being left to deal with the situation alone, the ministry said.
Dr Mallia emphasized that it was necessary to implement the principle of solidarity and fair responsibility sharing that was at the very foundation of the European Union. In this regard, he insisted on the need to render the number of migrants more manageable in Malta’s context.
Commissioner Malmström said she understood the situation and the particular pressure that Malta was facing and stood ready to help Malta in any way she could. To begin with, the Commission would be making emergency funding available to Malta.
Commissioner Malmström also gave her assurance that she would continue to push for the relocation of beneficiaries of international protection from Malta, noting that the Annual Relocation Forum that was recently announced would be organized by the Commission after the summer.
Dr Mallia and Commissioner Malmström agreed that Member States needed to be further encouraged to show solidarity by relocating beneficiaries of protection from Malta.
Finally, Commissioner Malmström and Dr Mallia agreed that broad cooperation with Libya would need to be pursued on the longer-term, in order to prevent the illegal migration flows.