European home affairs ministers yesterday approved ambitious proposals to relocate 120,000 refugees across the EU through a system of mandatory quotas. The plan was fiercely opposed by a number of eastern European countries.
Under the approved plan, Malta will take in 71 of the 66,000 refugees being relocated from Italy and Greece in the first phase this coming year and a further 58 out of 54,000 in the next phase.
Malta had previously agreed to accept 60 refugees out of 40,000 as part of a voluntary relocation plan agreed last May, bringing the country’s total to 189.
The agreement was reached yesterday afternoon during an extraordinary meeting of justice and home affairs ministers in Brussels. An initial meeting last week failed to reach a consensus.
Speaking to journalists after the vote, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela expressed satisfaction that solidarity had prevailed and called for the decisions to be put into practice as soon as possible.
The UK, which has a legal exemption, will be the only country not participating in the relocation scheme. Ireland and Denmark, both of which have similar exemptions, have agreed to take part voluntarily.
The decision on the proposals, however, had to be made by a qualified majority vote after the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary maintained their staunch opposition to any system of mandatory quotas and Finland abstained.
The Czech government has already indicated it considers mandatory quotas illegal and would consider taking the matter to the European Court of Justice.
The divisive vote raises fears of a further split with eastern nations that feel bullied by Germany on migration, ahead of an emergency summit of EU leaders today.
The heads of State and of government meeting will focus on actions to address instability around Europe’s borders and the refugee pressures faced by neighbouring countries.
When one country needs help, everyone has to give their fair share
An agreement with Turkey to improve living conditions for some 2.2 million Syrian refugees currently in the country is expected to top the agenda.
Mr Abela played down fears of a rift that could impact today’s meeting, noting that a binding decision had been reached regardless of the opposition.
“The attitude today was better than in the last extraordinary general council,” he said. “Although there was some mention of the disagreement between countries, there was no real animosity during the meeting itself.”
He expressed optimism that a majority of countries would support a reform of the contentious Dublin II system, under which asylum seekers must register in the first EU country they enter.
“What remains to be seen is what sort of reform this will entail but I think there is general agreement on the principle of a Europe-wide response to the issue of migration,” he said.
The Dublin II system, which has been seen as putting undue pressure on border states, will be discussed during another meeting of justice and home affairs ministers on October 8.
When asked, Mr Abela, would not comment on the Maltese government’s view of Hungary’s hard-line approach to the crisis, which has included the deployment of the army along a new border fence with Serbia. “The best solutions need to be made in a spirit of solidarity,” he said. “When one country needs help, everyone has to give their fair share.”