Malta wil Europese hulp om illegale immigratie te bestrijden (en)

The Maltese foreign affairs minister Michael Frendo has called on the EU for assistance in dealing with illegal immigration on the island.

The minister has presented a 17-point document to explain in which fields Malta needs the most help in addressing illegal immigration, and why it has become an issue for the island, according to Maltese Di-Ve news.

"Malta is the smallest and most densely populated country in the European Union and the second most densely populated country in the world", Mr Frendo has said, adding that "the 3,000 illegal immigrants that landed in Malta since 2002, are equivalent to 420,000 landing in Italy over the same short period of time".

This is why the minister has asked for EU help in, for example, the repatriation of people who have not been granted refugee status, and the settlement of those who have.

Malta also needs assistance in providing facilities to receive immigrants, the paper says, and suggests further cooperation in the field of maritime security as well.

Currently, Malta grants the highest rate of refugee status to irregular immigrants, but risks adversely affecting it both socially and economically, the minister has written.

Tackling illegal immigration is under the spotlight in the EU at the moment, with interior ministers from France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain recently agreeing to organise joint charter flights to deport illegal immigrants.

On top of that, the European Commission has announced that it will soon propose a new directive for common standards for illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers, hoping that it can be adopted rapidly.