Brussels, 24/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The United Kingdom is to take part in a pilot programme allowing the relocation to other Union countries of refugees arriving on the island of Malta, the Maltese authorities announced in a press release on 18 November. London thus proposes to take in 10 persons as a sign of solidarity. The Maltese minister for justice and home affairs, Carm Mitsud Bonnici, welcomed this decision which brings to seven the number of member states that have chosen to take “positive steps to assist Malta in the face of the exceptional pressures that the migratory flow from Africa to Europe is exerting on the country's limited geography and demography”. The United Kingdom, which was previously against taking part in such a project, therefore joins France (which is to take in 100 refugees), Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia, which have already undertaken to relieve the pressure on the island of Malta caused by the large numbers of refugees arriving on its soil. In total, nearly 150 people granted international protection in Malta will be relocated in 2010 to one of the seven member states taking part in this project. This figure - which could increase given that Germany, Poland and Spain have also stated they are interested in participating - nonetheless remains far below the estimates made by the European Commission, which evaluated the total number of persons to be relocated at 2,000. The Commission will be organising a meeting on 2 December to take stock of the aid provided by member states. The British announcement prompted Mr Mitsud Bonnici to point out that immigration from Africa had been recognised by all member states as a “European problem”. In this context, he said the pact for immigration and asylum, which was approved last year, addressed this issue tangibly by laying down the need for effective voluntary burden-sharing mechanisms to assist those EU members which were facing disproportionate pressures from illegal immigration. (B.C./transl.jl)