Malta’s push for effective burden sharing and reallocation of asylum seekers among EU member states has been left on the backburner in a fresh set of proposals published by the European Commission yesterday.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had made it clear during the last EU summit in October that the island was expecting “solutions to the illegal immigration crisis by December”.
The Commission’s proposals offer a set of improved measures, particularly by strengthening Frontex maritime patrols across the Mediterranean from April.
However, they fall short of concrete actions demanded by Malta, particularly a time frame for other member states to share the burden of asylum seekers from the front-line countries, especially Malta and Italy, and to return failed asylum seekers to their country of origin.
None of the proposals are new as they have been on the table for a long time
Instead, while agreeing these should be important objectives, the EU executive only proposes to “encourage” member states to “to increase their commitment on resettlement” on a voluntary basis and invites them to “consider increasing their quotas” of the number of asylum seekers they are able to resettle in their countries.
To encourage them to do so, the Commission suggests increasing the financial help it allocates to such member states from €4,000 to €6,000 per settled refugee.
On the return of failed asylum seekers to their country of origin, the Commission said it would enter into further negotiations with transit and countries of origin to ensure migrants went back.
Making it clear priority should be given to “voluntary returns” of irregular immigrants, the proposals say these should be returned to their country of origin and not to transit countries.
However, no concrete mechanism is mentioned about how this can be done.
Addressing a press conference in Brussels yesterday, Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said the proposals were the result of various meetings held by the Task Force for the Mediterranean over the past weeks.
‘From words we have commitments’
Admitting that “none of the proposals are new as they have been on the table for a long time”, she said they offered more impetus to the Commission’s efforts to avoid further tragedies in the Mediterranean like the ones that occurred close to Lampedusa and Malta a few weeks back.
Monetary assistance to front-line countries is one of the most concrete measures in the Commission’s communication.
The EU executive is proposing granting Frontex an additional €14 million to be able to organise patrol missions in the Mediterranean and another €50 million earmarked for assistance and solidarity with member states dealing with high migratory pressures.
According to the Commission, €30 million of these funds has already been allocated to Italy and another €20 million will be held in reserve “to address the growing pressure at the EU level and the subsequent insufficient national capacity”.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat welcomed the suggestions and said “they include a number of proposals made by Malta”.
“These proposals are the basis on which operational decisions are now expected to be taken,” he said.
Dr Muscat said that increased help to Libya and African countries to tackle the root of the migration problem and more coordination by Frontex for return flights were “important measures included by the Commission”.
“From words we have now come to commitments on concrete action”, he said.
The Commission’s blueprint is now expected to be discussed and possibly agreed upon by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels later this month.
| What Malta asked for? | What’s on the EU’s table? |
| Frontex to coordinate return flights of failed asylum seekers. | No mention of Frontex return flights as this programme is already possible. However, the Commission is proposing added maritime patrols in the Mediterranean as from April to help save lives. The Commission urges member states to agree on rules of engagement. |
| EU to declare time frame for sharing responsibility of asylum seekers among member states. | The EU executive establishes no time frame. However, the Commission encourages member states to increase their voluntary commitment on resettlement. |
| EU to coordinate actions with Libya to prevent irregular migrants crossing over to Europe. | The EU suggests discussions by Frontex over the possible involvement of countries of departure in maritime surveillance operations. |
| EU should promote new legal methods of migration towards Europe. | EU to continue working on establishing new mobility partnerships with North Africa, notably with Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Lebanon. In the case of Libya, this will happen only when the situation there is stable. |
| Setting up asylum systems closer to the country of origin to discourage people from risking their life by crossing seas. | No specific actions are mentioned in the Commission’s communication. However, a specific and comprehensive debate on migration covering voluntary return and root causes of irregular migration is foreseen in view of the EU-Africa summit planned for next April. |
| Refused asylum applicants to be repatriated in the shortest time possible with the help of Frontex. | The EU’s communication states that a quick and effective return of irregular immigrants needs to be ensured, in a humane and dignified manner in full compliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the relevant EU acquis and international human rights standards, by promoting, when possible, voluntary return. Priority, when possible, should be given to return to countries of origin rather than transit countries. |