This morning, a group of immigrants were relocated from Malta to France following an agreement between the two countries aimed at reducing the burden of immigration. The immigrants left Malta on a direct flight to Paris with the aim of continuing the asylum process in France.
The transfer of the immigrants could take place after the necessary preparations had been made by the Ministry of the Interior, National Security and Law Enforcement, the French Embassy in Malta and the International Organization for Immigration. (IOM). These included medical examinations to ensure that none of the immigrants were positive for COVID-19.
Despite the obstacles posed by the relocation pandemic, the Maltese authorities are working to transfer hundreds of other immigrants to other member states of the European Union in the coming weeks and months.
Today’s relocation is taking place at a time when the European Commission is in the process of launching an updated immigration policy. The Maltese Government believes that sharing the responsibility of immigrants is part of the solution so that Malta does not bear the burden of immigration alone.
Relocation is one of the pillars of the government’s strategy on irregular immigration, along with preventing the arrival and return of those people who are not eligible for protection in Malta.
