The process for a national migrant integration strategy will be launched by June, the Civil Liberties Ministry said after a report this week concluded a lack of responsibility hindered integration.
An official has been assigned to oversee the process within the framework of a project co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals.
The ministry was addressing questions by Times of Malta after The People for Change Foundation reported on Tuesday that one of the main obstacles to integration was that no government ministry assumed responsibility for it.
The report, funded by the European Commission, found that, in the absence of an integration policy, measures and subsequent monitoring were “sparse”, “fragmented” or “limited to ad hoc projects”.
The strategy will surely involve several other ministries and the relevant stakeholders
The foundation was critical of delays in implementing the promised integration policy.
“This political will was welcomed... but, at the time of writing, no such national policy had yet been developed,” the report said.
It made recommendations to fill in gaps in existing legislation, with the priority being the establishment of a national integration policy.
Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli said the process was ongoing. When launched in June 2015, the process will involve public consultation and expert meetings, including with civil society organisations.
The ministry, however, disagreed with the foundation that fragmentation of responsibility was a problem, saying the strategy would necessarily involve ministries and stakeholders.
“In this sense, the ministry is the driver but the strategy will surely involve several other ministries and the relevant stakeholders,” a spokesman said.
Non-EU nationals living in Malta have almost doubled since 2005, totalling 20,400, according to official figures.
Last June, the ministry launched a website to facilitate immigrants’ lives. It is dedicated entirely to integration, providing essential information ranging from entry and residence requirements to education and accommodation.
The website, which also seeks to enable interaction among migrant communities, is part of a project with the International Organisation for Migration and is accompanied by brochures, published in six languages including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. The project was financed by the EU integration fund.
This effort laid the groundwork for a ‘one-stop shop’ where migrant needs are assisted. This, too, was a work in progress, the ministry said.
“It has not been shelved. However, in order for such a one-stop shop to serve migrants adequately it would need to be carefully designed and linked to the strategy that is in the process of being drawn up,” a spokesman said.