Another relocation exercise was completed on Wednesday morning after a group of migrants were transferred to Germany. Despite the challenges brought about by COVID-19, the latest relocation exercise has been the fifth one since September. Relocated migrants will have their asylum claim determined in other member states.
The relocation exercise was coordinated with the European Commission in line with Malta’s calls for the fair sharing of responsibility of irregular migrants reaching Europe’s shores.
Relocation provides the opportunity to Maltese authorities to reduce the pressure on its migrant reception facilities and manage its asylum backlog. Together with measures to fight people smuggling in the Central Mediterranean and returns, relocation is one of the pillars of the government’s strategy on irregular migration.
Work on such initiatives took place between officials of the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement and their counterparts in other member states. Other pledges for the relocation of migrants by other Member States are planned to be fulfilled in the coming period.
Preparations on the relocation of migrants also involve the assistance of the Police Immigration Section, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). The relocation project is co-financed by EU emergency assistance under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
