EU should simplify return procedures for irregular migration, says Abela
The prime minister was speaking following a Brussels meeting on migration
The European Union should simplify return procedures for irregular migrants and tackle abuse of the migration system, the prime minister has said.
Speaking after a meeting on migration on the sidelines of a European Council summit in Brussels, Robert Abela told journalists he had proposed putting migration on the agenda when Malta assumes the Council of Europe presidency in May.
The proposal had been met with interest by European leaders from the twelve other countries present for the meeting, Abela said.
The prime minister said the group of countries meeting to discuss migration had grown in recent years, which he said showed how migration was an evolving issue that required continued work.
“I recall how years ago we were one of only a few countries that were talking about this subject”, he said.
“The fact that arrivals to our country have decreased drastically does not mean that the pressures are no longer there but it means that we have a greater awareness of how to deal with this subject.”
Abela said he had stressed during the meeting the need to continue with reforms to migration procedures, while praising the work of the European Commission on the topic.
Last week, the Commission proposed a new approach to returning irregular migrants, which included issuing a ‘European Return Order’ alongside any national return decision and allowing EU countries to enforce decisions of other member states without starting a new return process.
Other measures included “clear rules” on forced returns while encouraging voluntary departures, stronger obligations for migrants being returned to their country to cooperate with authorities and strengthened rules to prevent unauthorised movement within the EU and more easily locate migrants.
The proposals also reiterated the use of return hubs external to the EU while emphasising “strong safeguards” to ensure returns were carried out in line with international human rights standards.
In April last year, European lawmakers voted to overhaul asylum laws, including hardening border procedures and forcing all the bloc's 27 nations to share responsibility for arrivals.