Updated 4.05pm - Added video

The government needs to come clean about its long-term plan on migration, Adrian Delia said on Wednesday afternoon.

The Opposition leader was reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement that the MV Lifeline would dock in Malta on Wednesday evening and its 234 migrant passengers brought ashore.

Dr Delia said he had already asked the government how many migrants Malta could take on, whether there were any plans in place, and whether this latest agreement would be a one-off.

He noted that over the past few years, the number of arrivals fizzled out, the result of what some touted as an agreement between Dr Muscat and his former Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi.

“However, people need to understand that agreements between states do not end with changes in administration. Was there an agreement between two states, or two people? And if there was an agreement, what did it consist of,” he asked.

As it waited for the government’s replies, the Opposition would continue to insist on prioritising national interest.

The government needed to be transparent about its long-term plan as the country could not continue reacting ad hoc – the number of migrants could gradually increase from a couple of hundreds, to thousands, he said.

Referring to news that Malta needed 70,000 foreign workers, he questioned where they would be accommodated, adding that while he did not want to gain political mileage from the issue, the government needed to come clean about any long-term plans.

“We cannot, on one hand, sell passports and say we need more migrants to work here, but at the same time say we will not let in people fleeing conflict.”

Answering questions he noted that so far the government had only spoken about separate cases – that of the Aquarius and the Lifeline - and not about a long-term plan on migration.