The number of migrants which Malta had agreed to take as part of an EU burden sharing agreement has been reduced to 74 from the original 292.
Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela told Times of Malta this evening that Malta will take 60 migrants who will be relocated from Italy, and 14 others who will be resettled form outside the EU and legally apply to live in the bloc.
In comments from Brussels after a Home Affairs Ministers' meeting, Mr Abela said he was generally pleased with the way talks had proceeded today.
Although there was no full agreement on the number of migrants to be relocated from Italy and Greece, participating countries had already agreed to relocate 32,000 migrants over two years, and the first half of the programme, for the relocation of 20,000 within a year, could therefore start immediately, he said.
This, Mr Abela pointed out, was important progress because most EU countries had now accepted to take migrants, whether relocated from Italy or Greece or resettled form outside the EU.
The quota for each countries had been calculated on the basis of a formula which included geographical size, population, migrant population and unemployment, among other factors.
It was the low rate of Malta’s unemployment which had pushed up Malta’s quota of migrants, but Malta had successfully argued for it to be scaled down to be more in line with the other elements of the formula, Mr Abela said.
"We are almost there," the EU migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, told a news conference. "I am disappointed, but it was an important step forward," he said.
The first asylum seekers may be relocated before a full deal is reached, "starting from October", Luxembourg's minister in charge of migration, Jean Asselborn, said.
"PULL FACTOR"
Spain and Poland were among the staunchest opponents to the plan. But other countries also committed to taking fewer migrants than the EU had requested, or rejected themoutright.
"We are very critical of the relocation plan because it will create a pull factor" attracting more migrants to Europe instead of preventing their departure, said Spain's home affairs minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz. Spain committed to 1,300 refugees, although the EU requested a commitment of about 4,300.
Austria refused to commit to any figure. "Austria has become the first target country and deals with 10 times more asylum seekers' application than Greece and Italy put together and this cannot be right," Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner told reporters.
Hungary has been exempted from taking in any asylum seekers from Italy or Greece. Britain and Denmark have no obligation to participate. Ireland was exempt too, but decided voluntarily to commit to take in 600 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece.
Under the plan, the Commission also wants EU governments to take in 20,000 refugees from their countries of origin, such as Syria or Afghanistan, or in transit, such as those who have flooded into Syria's neighbour Lebanon. That part of the plan has been agreed by ministers.
In exchange for taking in more refugees, the Commission blueprint involves stricter identification of migrants arriving in Italy and Greece, and streamlined procedures to send home those who cannot claim international protection.