Recognising the trauma suffered by asylum seekers attempting to cross the Mediterranean, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said legislative changes to the current detention policy would be implemented by July.

By then, rules on detention conditions would be amended to improve asylum seekers’ rights in line with new EU directives, although other logistical needs, such as the building of new facilities, might need a longer period of time, Mr Abela told Times of Malta.

The period of time asylum seekers will spend in detention will have to be reduced, as laid out in the Reception Conditions Directive.

It states access to employment for an asylum seeker must be granted within a maximum period of nine months. At the moment, national legislation says that irregular migrants can be detained for up to 18 months while those who lodge an application for asylum stay for up to a year. Mr Abela confirmed Malta would be abiding by the conditions laid down in the new directives.

Read more in Times of Malta.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.