Simon Busuttil to lead EP mission to Libya

Dr Simon Busuttil, one of the five Maltese Members of the European Parliament, this week was assigned by the European Parliament to lead a delegation of MEPs on a special mission to Libya to investigate the situation of illegal immigration in the country.

Libya is considered to be one of the main African countries from where thousands of illegal immigrants coming from all over sub-Saharan Africa embark on ramshackle boats in a desperate attempt to reach EU shores. The majority of illegal immigrants who ended up in Malta during the last years were coming from Libya.

European Parliament sources said that the appointment of Dr Busuttil, the first for a Maltese MEP, to lead an eight-strong MEP delegation is a recognition of Malta's efforts to raise the profile of this problem across the EU and the personal interest Dr Busuttil is showing in the issue.

The delegation, which will be travelling to Libya during the first week of December, was given the brief to evaluate the problem of illegal immigration in Libya and report back to the European Parliament on the state of affairs.

The delegation was set up on an ad hoc basis following a recent resolution of the European Parliament which called for the setting up of a delegation of members to go to Libya "to assess the magnitude of the problem and to verify the legitimacy of the actions of the Libyan authorities."

This is the second time that the European Parliament felt the need to send a specific mission to examine the problem of illegal immigration. Last month, a group of MEPs visited the Italian island of Lampedusa (which is closer to Libya than Malta is and which has been overwhelmed by illegal immigrants this year) following up on the same resolution and presented a very critical report on the situation found to the EP.

Contacted by The Sunday Times, Dr Busuttil expressed his satisfaction at this prestigious appointment. He said that however this carries with it responsibility on a complex and sensitive issue.

"This issue is as sensitive for Libya as much as it is for Malta and other EU countries. Therefore, we must tread surely but carefully. I want the delegation to transmit to Libya the concerns of the EU on illegal immigration. When we say that on this issue everyone must shoulder their responsibility, clearly we also mean Libya," he said.

Asked about the main issues his delegation will be focusing on, Dr Busuttil said that his aim is for the delegation to return to Brussels with a clear understanding of the situation in Libya and on how the EP can better monitor EU-Libya co-operation on this issue.

Recalling the wave of negative reactions in Malta over the influx of illegal immigrants, Dr Busuttil said that this appointment can send "a clear message that we cannot solve this problem by resorting to xenophobia but by doing our part both locally as well as internationally in the collective effort to solve it."

The delegation will consist of eight MEPs from six EU countries.