News
Nestor Laiviera
17 June 2009 10:27
Nash explained how any migrants returning to Libya are liable to be detained for indefinite periods stretching to years with no human rights being guaranteed or safeguarded.
 Malta justified in demanding greater solidarity and burden sharing from EU - ECRE
|
Malta, along with other Mediterranean EU member states, is justified in demanding greater solidarity and burden sharing from the European Union with regards to the pressure that illegal immigration is placing upon the country.
Speaking during a press conference held in celebration of World Refugee Day, Chris Nash, Senior Policy Advisor for the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) said that his organisation fully supports Malta’s requests for assistance.
The conference, held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, was organised by a coalition of human rights NGOs, and featured talks by figures such as Damtew Dessalegne (UNHR Rome) and Gabriele Del Grande, an Italian journalist with first hand investigative experiences from Libya.
He added that his organisation also believes that Malta, and other member states facing the pressure of illegal immigration, also required more funding in order to assist them, seeing as they are currently struggling to meet international obligations.
Nash pointed out that despite the EU’s rhetoric on welcoming asylum seekers and the importance of immigrants to seek asylum, the EU’s implementation of policy was having the reverse effect of having a huge effect on reducing the number of asylum applications drastically.
“The right to seek asylum is becoming increasingly meaningless if immigrants do not have free access to European Union territory,” he maintained.
He pointed out that it is a proven fact that not all migrants are economic migrants, referring studies, even locally, which show that close to half of all migrants making their way across the Mediterranean qualifying as asylum seekers.
Nash also spoke against excessive EU mechanism, which place controls and limitations on how freely migrants can access territory and move about, only serve to push migrants into the hands of smugglers, who offer them means to circumvent such controls.
He called on the EU to clarify guidelines that pertain to the rescue and responsibility of migrants during the perilous crossing across the Mediterranean, referencing the PINAR E incident that saw 140 migrants stuck at sea while Malta and Italy both refused to accept responsibility for them.
Explaining how ECRE considered only EU ports as “safe ports” due to human rights guarantees, it condemned Italy’s recent reteurn of a number of immigrant to a port in Libya, describing it “a historic abdication of European human rights responsibilities.”
Nash explained how any migrants returning to Libya are liable to be detained for indefinite periods stretching to years with no human rights being guaranteed or safeguarded.
“As many as 70 people are detained together in areas which are 60 square meters large with no windows for long periods,” Nash said, citing examples of serious cases of human rights breaches.
He said that ECRE stood behind Malta and other Mediterranean member states in demanding greater solidarity from the EU with regards to burden sharing and funding assistance.
He said that ECRE understood Malta’s situation, and why it is struggling to fulfil its international and European obligations with regards to immigration, adding that the caveat to this is that Malta has nevertheless signed the European Burden Sharing pact and accepted other obligations, stressing that Malta must now do its best to honour them.
More News
Your chance to become famous as you fight poverty
The quarry – time to rise and shine
Qawra/Bugibba 2010 – an example of the cost of chronic ineptitude
Live updates: PN gets their way, Dimech ousted out of Mayor role, Gonzi’s relative takes his place
BREAKING NEWS: PL councillors to abstain in Dimech vote
5,000 escorted outside after Portomaso alarm goes off
Ex Enemalta Chairman Alex Tranter spent over 100,000 euros on travel, accommodation and hospitality
'With robes that gleam with sunny sheen, Sweet August doth appear' - R. Combe Miller
More accusations of irregularities for San Gwann local council
Silvio Camilleri for Chief Justice
B’kara Maltapost Branch held up
9-year-old boy falls down one storey
Leo Brincat asks if Spiteri Gingell is still chairing another Govt. climate change committee?
God did not create the universe, says Hawking
Hold up in Paola
Comments
Lawrence Galea - 17 June 2009 23:01
Whatever has been signed can be repealed.
We should repeal our adherence to the Dublin II convention and also to the Refugee Convention because it is way past its use by date, was never intended for the situation that has developed and is being abused left right and centre by the illegal immigrants and the NGO's.
mario zerafa - 17 June 2009 19:05
Can some one explain what other obligations did Malta accept when it signed the Burden Sharing pact ? It seems the Mr Nash was hinting that this pact is associated with another deal which if not fulfilled by Malta the EU will not reciprocate the Burden Sharing. No wonder that not a single EU country has taken any illigal immigrants out of Malta. Perhaps DR Simon Busutill MEP can explain this deal as he was very much in favour of this pact to the extent that he critisized Dr Joseph Muscat PL opposition leader for being against this volonary agreement to the extent the he was ready to use his vito.
Regards Mario Zerafa