Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Byron Camilleri, attended a MED5 meeting in Las Palmas, Spain, with the Ministers responsible for Home Affairs and Migration of Greece, Italy and Spain. Cyprus also participated in the meeting but was represented at Director level.
The discussions focused on implementing the Pact on Asylum and Migration and the external dimension of migration.
The Ministers took stock of the latest migration trends in their respective countries, including the decrease of arrivals through the Central Mediterranean route and the surge of arrivals through the Western and Eastern Mediterranean routes. Within this context, the Ministers emphasised the importance of ensuring that the needs of the MED5 countries are duly taken into account when implementing the Pact, including the importance of maintaining a balance between responsibility and solidarity and ensuring the availability of sufficient funds.
The Ministers also highlighted the importance of the external dimension, particularly the need to step up efforts on prevention and returns. They also agreed on the need for strategic partnerships with key third countries of origin and transit based on mutual trust and a whole-route approach.
Minister Byron Camilleri stressed the importance of increasing their efforts to prevent irregular journeys, which lead to loss of lives and combatting smugglers and their smuggling networks.
“Thanks to the efforts made by the Maltese Government in recent years, both on the external and internal dimensions, the number of irregular arrivals has steadily decreased. At the same time, the rate of returns has gradually increased. Last year, the equivalent of 83% of irregular arrivals were returned to their country of origin since they did not qualify for asylum”, Minister Camilleri noted.
The Minister highlighted the clear relationship between the rate of returns of migrants not in need of international protection and irregular journeys. The Minister called for viable long-term solutions based on stronger cooperation with third countries, increased efforts on returns, and combating smuggling networks.
The Ministers of Malta, Greece, Italy, and Spain, and the Cypriot Director of the Asylum Service, signed a Joint Statement in anticipation of the Ministerial Meeting on the Implementation of the Pact, which will be held on 29-30 April.
