Malta’s Aims on Irregular Immigration

In an article shown on The Times of Malta on Thursday 25th August, Minister for Home Affairs Tonio Borg outlines a three-pronged diplomatic approach Malta is following in order to find a solution for its own irregular immigration problem. The three main aims described by Minister Borg are to:

“¤ Request resettlement in European Union countries;
¤ Participate in EU joint repatriation flights;
¤ Strive for ad hoc repatriation arrangements with neighbouring Libya from where most of the immigrants start their Europe-bound journey”

A reflection on the Borg’s three aims may lead us to the conclusion that all three aims, if successfully pursued by the Government, will have their own repercussions on Europe thus on Malta. This is because Malta is not proposing any concrete measure that would alleviate the economic and social problems irregular immigration poses on European Society. By sending immigrants elsewhere in Europe would mean keeping the same problem but at the same time creating economic pressures on other countries thus possibly reducing the economic potential of Europe. The proposals Malta is putting forward can thus be seen as not being holistic and having an effect only in the short-term.

The first aim - “[to] Request resettlement in European Union countries” - will only dilute Malta’s problem. If this plead were to be accepted then Malta’s problem will only be partially solved, as the numbers of irregular immigrants will reduce but the number of arrivals won’t. It is also possible that the number of arrivals would increase as the disparities between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the World would continue to increase. Moreover this request is highlights the ignorance of the Maltese government on the current state of irregular immigration in the European Union. Malta is not, as some want to make the citizens believe, the only country facing this problem. The European Commission estimated in 2003 that there were more than 3 million irregular immigrants in the fifteen-state European Union.

This request can very well be replaced with an application for funds under the AGRO [link to AGRO web site] project and a proposal for the setting up of a common border patrol agency between Mediterranean countries. Common border patrol initiatives, previously launched by Spain and Italy on two different occasions, are an effective measure on how traffickers can be caught thus reducing the number of risky voyages across the Mediterranean.

The Government should also strive to push the Tampere conclusions on immigrants and asylum seekers high up on the European Agenda. Tampere is the name of a European Council meeting where important decisions on the issues of justice, security and freedom were taken. One of the proposals was to set up a common immigration and asylum policy within the European Union. This may couple the efforts of a common border patrol agency for Europe’s borders.

I find myself in total disagreement with the third proposal where the government is proposing to, “Strive for ad hoc repatriation arrangements with neighbouring Libya from where most of the immigrants start their Europe-bound journey”. Libya is not a signatory of the 1951 Geneva Convention, an instrument which guarantees humane treatment to asylum seekers and prisoners of war. Therefore, by sending the immigrants back to Libya, would effectively mean Malta agreeing to any treatment inflicted on the immigrants as soon as they arrive into Libya.

The third aim would rather be replaced by a clear commitment from the Maltese Government to ensure a better global governance system where the existing economic and social disparities between the North and South would be reduced. Malta should lobby in the European Council of Ministers in favour of a stronger international voice of Europe in world affairs and bilateral co-operation between the European Union and the United Nations.

Only a holistic approach to the problem of irregular immigration and consideration to our European partners’ problems concerning illegal immigration will permit Malta to come up with real proposals that will have an impact in the long-run. Only through substance will Malta obtain support from its international partners.