Prime Minister Joseph Muscat must be credited with elevating Malta’s irregular immigration problem to the attention of the international media. His time as a journalist has certainly helped him acquire a collection of sound bites.
But beyond the ample airspace on major news channels, did he manage to make inroads on this important subject for Malta?
Dr Muscat had said he would not leave Friday’s EU summit unless concrete action was taken. That did not happen. Instead, Dr Muscat walked away from the summit expressing satisfaction that the EU has at least agreed on a December deadline to draw up a short-term plan of action on migration.
The Opposition said the Prime Minister had left the summit empty handed despite his hard talk. The truth lies somewhere in between.
The reality is there is no short-term solution to irregular migration, and Dr Muscat must by now acknowledge it.
People will continue fleeing wars and poverty. Africa remains a cauldron of instability. Europe will forever be the land of dreams.
Malta is essentially asking for four things: first, it is calling for a returns policy so that failed asylum seekers can be issued with travel documents and repatriated. It should, in theory, be one of the most doable solutions.
Its second request to introduce Frontex patrols rules of engagement which “make sense” is certainly going to be a sticking point. What makes sense for Malta might not make sense for Italy, even less France.
Malta, Italy and Greece will remain at the forefront of the southern migration problem. Yet the lion’s share of refugees ultimately find shelter in northern Europe, with Germany, Belgium, the UK, France and Sweden taking in 70 per cent of those fleeing conflict.
Malta is right to call for the introduction of procedures to enable asylum seekers to enter the EU legally. Ideally, migrants need to be dissuaded from taking the risky boat ride by being given access to proper asylum procedures.
This had also been proposed by the former Nationalist administration, but with trouble still rife in Libya and several African states, it is an uphill struggle, and certainly not a matter that will be resolved by December, or even June.
Dr Muscat should continue lobbying the EU on the importance of helping Libya, but he also needs to acknowledge that the North African state is far from a safe haven. If he is in doubt, he should ask the migrants who came under fire as they fled Libya.
Malta is also asking for more EU funding, a reasonable request were it not for the fact that the European Commission gave Malta €120 million to help manage the problem.
The summit conclusions failed to mention the relocation of migrants towards other EU member states, so that could be described as a retrograde step on a diplomatic front.
Ultimately, the latest EU summit underlined the importance of lobbying rather than threatening. It is pointless stamping our feet unless we want to be fast-tracked into political isolation.
Whether we like it or not, size does matter in the EU, and the sooner we realise we are part of the Union – Dr Muscat’s sometimes talks as if we are not – the more the chance of winning support from the states that matter.
It is necessary for the Maltese government to use strong language in its criticism of the way the EU is handling the migration issue, but not at the expense of diplomacy and, ultimately, progress.