During the latest meeting of the Maltese-Libyan Joint Commission, held in Malta at the end of October, Malta drew the attention of the Libyan side to the lack of reciprocity on the efficiency of issues of visas for Maltese to visit Libya, especially for trade purposes, in both normal and emergency situations and for multiple-entry visas.

Answering a parliamentary question by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg drew comparisons between Libya's record and Malta's efficiency in the issuing of visas for Libyans to visit Malta. In a case of genuine emergency involving two Libyans, the Maltese consulate in Tripoli had worked on a Friday, not normally a working day in Libya, and issued the visas on the day after application. This confirmed that there was a fast-track system for cases of genuine emergency, and it was not true that there had been a delay in the issuing of the two visas.

Dr Borg said that thanks to the full cooperation of all departments involved in Malta, visas for Libyans to visit Malta took around four days under normal circumstances. Visas for Libyans to visit other Schengen countries took about the same time.