Malta is analysing the asylum proposals unveiled by Brussels yesterday, which have been described by unofficial quarters as "a mixture of good and not so good".
The European Commission's proposals are very detailed and technical and senior government sources said it would take some time to make a detailed analysis of their impact on Malta.
"However, as a first reaction, it seems Brussels has taken on some of our suggestions. Although other proposals do not seem to be in sync with our present stand, particularly on detention," the sources said.
The remarks were made after EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot disclosed the first concrete recommendations to implement the Commission's policy plan on the Immigration Pact agreed upon by member states in October.
The proposals do not include any reference to the voluntary burden-sharing mechanism, included in the pact on Malta's insistence. It only refers to changes to the directive on reception conditions for asylum-seekers, a revision of the Dublin II regulations that determine which member state is responsible for asylum applications, and changes to the Eurodac regulation, a database containing the fingerprints of asylum seekers.
When asked why the proposals did not include the part about burden-sharing, a Commission official said that "this proposal will come at a later stage".
One of the positive elements for Malta, which the government has been harping on for the past four years, refers to the possibility of suspending certain EU rules on the processing of asylum applications.
Mr Barrot said that, as a first sign of internal solidarity, the Commission was proposing establishing a mechanism to suspend Dublin II transfers to alleviate the burden on member states experiencing particular pressures.
Commission officials said the proposal, which is still resisted by many member states, was specifically designed to meet Malta's needs.
"This will only apply in limited circumstances but will ensure that asylum seekers are not sent to member states that cannot offer them an adequate standard of protection, particularly in terms of reception conditions and access to the asylum procedure," the officials said.
Other proposals include granting more rights to asylum seekers. According to the Commission, asylum seekers should only be detained "in exceptional cases".
The Commission was also suggesting that asylum seekers should be granted permission to work six months after filing their application.
According to Maltese sources these two proposals could put more pressure on Malta. At the moment, asylum seekers in Malta are detained for a maximum of 18 months and are only granted permission to work after one year.
The Commission's proposals will have to get the green light from the 27 member states to become effective.
On a European level, there was a mixed reaction to the proposals.
The EPP-ED group, the largest political grouping in the European Parliament, said the recommendations did not have its full support, especially the proposal to reduce the waiting time for asylum-seekers to work from 12 to six months.
"This does not make sense as member states have to retain some flexibility to base their decisions on the situation of their labour market on the ground," Manfred Weber, the group's justice and home affairs spokesman, said.
On the other hand, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles welcomed the suggested mechanism of suspending rules for overburdened member states but said more safeguards were needed to protect refugees' rights.