Measures being taken in relation to travel show Malta is preparing to suspend participation in the Schengen agreement and re-impose border controls, ahead of two international summits this month.
Sources told the Times of Malta the decision was made as a security measure in view of the Valletta Summit on Migration on November 11 and 12 and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting between November 27 and 29.
In a statement last night, however, the government said the information did not come from official sources and Schengen regulations were still in force.
“The suspension of Schengen regulations, as took place during the last Papal visit to Malta, is subject to an extensive process at a European level,” it said. If such a decision were to be taken, the government said, an official statement would be issued with precise dates and details for passengers.
The government expressed disappointment at “the entity which appears to have released this information to the press without consultation, causing unnecessary inconvenience”.
A Malta International Airport spokesman told this newspaper on Sunday that non-Schengen controls would be introduced for all passengers between November 4 and December 3.
A similar notice also appeared on the Virtu Ferries website with the same dates and was relayed to passengers arriving from Sicily over the weekend.
Moreover, sources told this newspaper infrastructural adaptations had been made at the MIA immigration department to handle the additional processing.
Police and immigration officers are on stop-leave and have been advised that they would have to work overtime, both expressly related to the Schengen changes.
When news of the possible suspension first broke, several readers who had travelled abroad without their passport under Schengen rules expressed concern as to how they would re-enter. A police spokeswoman confirmed, however, that in the event of a suspension of the Schengen agreement, passengers would still be able to enter Malta with an ID card.
It is still not clear whether travellers who do not have a Maltese visa but had arrangements to enter the country under a Schengen visa obtained in another country will be admitted should the suspension go ahead.
Malta has been a part of the Schengen system, which abolished internal borders and allowed passport-free travel between EU member states, since 2007.
Informal EU Council meeting in Malta
Malta will be hosting an informal EU Council meeting on the heels of next week’s Valletta Summit on migration, EU Council President Donald Tusk announced yesterday via Twitter.
In an invitation letter to EU member states, Mr Tusk said the meeting, on November 12, would seek to step up cooperation with countries like Turkey, implement decisions on relocation, and also discuss ways to reinforce control of external borders.
The setting up of hotspots in Greece and Italy, as well as reinforcing reception capacities and providing EU agencies with additional expertise, will also be on the agenda.