Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has promised that Malta will “once more punch above its weight and offer our share of solidarity” ahead of a key meeting of EU ministers tomorrow to discuss the refugee crisis.
“The mood has certainly changed in Europe since the European Council last met before summer. The crisis which we experienced in the last years in the Mediterranean spilled over to the rest of Europe,” Dr Muscat told The Sunday Times of Malta.
That is why what happened in the last European Council when, upon Italy’s and Malta’s insistence, the principle of collective responsibility was agreed, was an important first step, he said.
“Some of those countries who reluctantly accepted to take part in a relocation and resettlement programme, now find themselves having to shift their position.”
Home affairs ministers from all 28 member states will meet in Brussels tomorrow to review proposals put forward last Wednesday by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
The Commission is proposing the immediate emergency relocation of 160,000 migrants from Greece, Hungary and Italy – mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Eritreans – under a system of mandatory quotas.
The UK, Ireland and Denmark, who have opt-outs on issues relating to migration, would be free to participate on a voluntary basis.
According to the new plan, Malta would have to resettle some 425 refugees over the next two years, although the government has said it has not yet committed to the figure. The majority of refugees will be resettled in France and Germany.Mr Juncker has also called for a common EU asylum and migrant policy, and a review of the current Dublin system, which requires asylum seekers to register at the first EU country in which they arrive.
Last Thursday, members of the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to support Mr Juncker’s proposals, with 432 voting in favour of a non-binding resolution and just 142 against, with 57 abstentions.The situation could be different when EU ministers meet tomorrow, however, with leaders already having refused a similar relocation plan for just 40,000 refugees last May.
160,000
– the total number of refugee relocation proposed by the Commission
Hungary, which has seen a massive wave of refugees passing through the country in recent weeks, has indicated it will reject the plan, even though it would benefit from the relocation of some 54,000 asylum seekers to other countries around the EU.
Dr Muscat said yesterday that Malta’s position would remain exactly the same as it has been for the last few years, and that the government was prepared to play its part. He added, however, that Malta would “remind Europe that we’ve been through such a crisis and most turned a blind eye on us”.
He insisted that tomorrow’s council would have to deliver concrete results.
Longer-term solutions should emerge from the Valletta Summit on Migration in November, which brings together EU states and key African partners, he said.
If Mr Juncker’s proposals win the political backing of a majority of national governments tomorrow, it is expected that they will be formally signed intolaw in October.
Donald Tusk, who chairs the European Council, has warned that he will call an emergency summit in October if “a solution based on consensus and genuine solidarity” is not reached.
Solidarity event in Sliema tonight
A candlelight gathering in solidarity with refugees and migrants is being held this evening at 7pm, starting from Exiles in Sliema. The event is part of an international call for action for refugees, with similar events being held in 27 European countries, the US and Australia.
“We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world, all refugees and migrants,” the organisers said.
“We call upon the EU member states to live up to their international obligations and to provide legal, safe and dignified ways of seeking refuge.”
A similar event in April attracted hundreds of people.