The recent terror attacks in Europe have shaken the Schengen concept, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Parliament last night.
However, at the recent EU summit held in Brussels it was agreed that while freedom of movement between states would be retained, there should be more sharing of data while “common risk indicators” should be used in the control of borders.
Dr Muscat said the member states had also considered carrying out permanent checks according to common regulations. There would be continued sharing between Europol (the law enforcement agency) and Eurojust (the EU agency dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters) and co-operation between the intelligence agencies of each country.
There would be further controls to prevent money laundering and to freeze the assets of suspected terrorists. Cyber security was also discussed.
Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said Schengen, the symbol of freedom of movement between 26 EU member states, should continue to be protected. “God forbid we stopped the freedom of movement of law-abiding citizens,” he said, “because that is what terrorists want”.
God forbid we stopped the freedom of movement of law-abiding citizens because that is what terrorists want
The Opposition would support the government’s position on this issue.
PN spokesman on Mediterranean policy Tonio Fenech appealed to other EU member states to have a stronger voice on this terrorism situation.
The Opposition was concerned that while all the other EU member states, the Arab League, the US and others had joined the international anti-IS coalition, Malta had not. Mr Fenech appealed to the government to reconsider its decision.
Opposition deputy leader Mario de Marco said that at every opportunity, the Prime Minister should insist on the importance of stability in the Mediterranean.
ISIS, he said, represented the destruction of all values any religion believed in. It was about destroying all that was right and civilisation as we knew it.
Malta could not be neutral in these circumstances, he said, adding that it could not be outside the US-led international coalition.
On the Greek debt issue, the Prime Minister said the summit had also agreed that the Greek government needed to take a number of measures before it could receive even more financial aid amounting to €7 billion.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis had told a special meeting of the Eurogroup that the austerity programme imposed on his country by the troika – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF – had not worked. He asked that Greece be given a bridge loan while a new agreement was being finalised.
However, every country had agreed that Greece needed to provide assurance to the other members that all loans would be safeguarded and that the Greek government should stop making public statements affecting the markets and creating instability.
The Maltese government had asked for a reassurance that its €188-million loan would be honoured in full, especially since the rates of interest had already been adjusted twice.
Malta would co-operate with other countries so that Greece’s situation would improve. Greece had until the end of this week to extend this programme, and then the group would meet again to discuss it. He hoped that common sense would prevail.
Dr Busuttil said the Opposition was four-square with the government on this issue. Mr Varoufakis had rejected an EU proposal for an extension of its current programme, calling the offer “absurd” and “unacceptable”. It was the Greek government’s argument, Dr Busuttil said, that was “absurd” and “unacceptable”. The Greek government was elected on the basis of populist promises, expecting to send the bill for these promises to other EU member states.
Dr de Marco said while one should listen to the Greek proposals, it was important that one continued to insist that the country’s debt had to be paid in full.
Winding up the debate, Dr Muscat said it was a fine line indeed between one being vigilant and being alarmist, but if people developed a siege-like mentality, then that was when terrorism would have won. Vigilance came from being level-headed.
Commenting on the international coalition against IS, Dr Muscat explained that a statement was issued by the EU saying that all EU member states, including Malta, had formed part of this coalition. At the time the Opposition had questioned how this decision was taken without any parliamentary debate. He himself had asked the same question, Dr Muscat said, as it appeared bureaucracy had put all countries in one basket.
The government believed it was responsible for devising its foreign policy and nobody else. The question now was not whether Malta should join, but when and how. Dr Muscat said he took responsibility for this decision, as he wanted to impart the message that nobody should take Malta or granted and take decisions on its behalf.
When it came to the situation in Greece, the February deadline was looming and there was more than one path open to Greece. It could extend the programme or choose to default on the programme it had agreed to, at the same time leaving the eurozone. The Greek government was going back on its word, which was irresponsible.