Brussels, 04/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - Every day, a number of member states of the Union are faced with arrivals of immigrants from outside the Community, who must be hosted under conditions which can be extremely difficult. This is notably the case with the islands of Mayotte and Lampedusa, which were the subject of a debate at the European Parliament.
The president-in-exercise of the Council, Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra, began the debate by acknowledging that the pressure certain countries find themselves under (including the small island of Malta) makes a reinforcement of the Community immigration and asylum policy vital. We must, he stressed, act within the Union, but also in cooperation with the countries of origin and transit. "We can all benefit from this approach", said Mr Vondra. Referring to the conditions in the detention centres, Mr Vondra reiterated that the directive adopted in 2003 on the standards to be respected has already been transposed into the national law of the member states, but that the Commission had decided in December 2008 to update this directive, under the co-decision procedure, which guarantees that the Parliament will be involved in this re-examination (EUROPE 9795). As for the directive on returns, this provides for specific rules on detention, with clear limits and rules on minors and families.
"A legal framework is being set in place", said Vice-President of the Commission Jacques Barrot, adding that the "returns" directive is a means of Community controls to ensure that the acquis is respected, and confirming that the Commission is determined to make sure that the fundamental principles and transposing of the directive are adhered to. The Commission recognizes the great problems faced by Italy, which has moreover enjoyed financial support, from the Presidium project amongst others: "If Italy feels that it is necessary, the Commission will be prepared to examine a further request for emergency aid under the 2009 budget" to help the country to receive migrants, said Mr Barrot, who went on to announce forthcoming visits to Lampedusa and Malta. One of the keys to solving the problem, he added, lies in "solid cooperation with Libya, which is the main transit country for migratory flows from eastern Africa". With Mayotte, the situation is slightly different: Union law is not directly applicable there, as it has the status of an overseas territory rather than an extremely remote region. During the debate, the French MEP Margie Sudre (EPP-ED) said that Mayotte (where illegal immigration makes up 33% of the population) is looking into the possibility of taking a decision allowing it to accede to the status of extremely remote region.
Unsurprisingly, the debate quickly took an Italian turn, particularly in light of recent declarations by Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni, who said that in order to tackle illegal immigration, it would be better to "change the music, and get tough" on illegal immigrants. This is not a "parody of politics" but a member of the Italian government talking, said Claudio Fava (Socialist Group) bitterly, adding that the law is broken every day in Lampedusa. Monica Frassoni (Greens/EFA) agrees with this assessment: illegal detention is a fact, and the risk of a "virtual sidelining" of the law on asylum is just as real, which leads her to state that "the announcement of further unconditional aid to Italy is worrying". One of the problems, added Giusto Catania (GUE/Nordic Left), lies in the fact that Roberto Maroni has decided to put an end to transfers from Lampedusa, which has led to a worsening of the situation. Several MEPs, not just Italian ones, called on Mr Barrot to visit Lampedusa, without notifying the Italian government of the specific date, to see how things really are. However, other Italian MEPs leapt to the defence of their government, among them Cristiana Muscardini (UEN), who stressed the goodwill of the inhabitants of Lampedusa in the face of this massive influx, commenting that many other countries would have acted differently from Italy; and Stefano Zappalà (Forza Italia), who repeated the figures (11,000 illegal immigrants in 2007, 30,000 in 2008) and Maddalena Calia (EPP-ED) listed the efforts made by the Italian government with the transit countries (agreement with Libya, to be ratified by the Italian Parliament on 3 February) and the countries of origin (negotiations underway with Tunisia). Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED) drew the participants' attention to the situation in his country, Malta. Given its size, and the fact that it is impossible to transfer immigrants elsewhere, Malta suffers proportionately more than other countries.
Mr Barrot noted the "impatience" of the MEPs, but pointed out that implementation of the Pact is still in its infancy. Yes, we need more solidarity in Europe, he acknowledged, a comment addressed particularly at Malta. (L.G./trans.fl)