“I want to restart the EU’s migration debate from the scratch,” said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson during her short visit to Malta on Tuesday, amid preparations of EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
In an interview given to the Times of Malta, the Commissioner highlighted that building understanding among member states with “different geographical realities”, is the first step towards shaping a new European way of managing migration.
If a Common European Asylum System is the target, the EU has to strike the right balance between solidarity and responsibility, as the existing system causes “administrative strain,” the Commissioner stressed. Thus, the need to address uncoordinated national actions by shaping sustainable solutions at an EU level is on top of the Commission’s agenda.
Johansson also commented on the situation in Libya and EU’s arms embargo in the country. “A permanent ceasefire needs to be agreed upon and implemented. The UN arms embargo needs to be effectively enforced. The EU needs to and can play an important role,” she said.
The Commissioner met with the country’s Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister of Home Affairs, Byron Camilleri, as Malta is one of the countries mostly hit by migration flows from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and also home of the European Asylum Home Office (EASO).
Abela has asked for the Commission’s support in handling the “disproportionate” irregular migration burden, adding that “member states which face a disproportionate burden are left to themselves.” The PM said that Malta will not “tolerate this any longer,” and “concrete actions” need to be taken, as its reception centers are already overcrowded.
