The Malta-based European Asylum Support Office (EASO) went through a “challenging period” in recent years with weak governance, no transparency and internal controls, director Nina Gregori has admitted.
Marking a year since taking over the EU agency, Gregori told Times of Malta the agency had been in disarray when she took over. Brussels had not given the agency a clean bill of health in years, the director lamented.
“Before I arrived in the organisation, the environment here was really, really weak. There no proper governance structures, the management was not functioning, there was no transparency, no controls…so there were a lot of problems and challenges,” Gregori said.
In recent years, the Malta-based EU agency, which became operational in 2011, had its accounts repeatedly rejected by the European Parliament while the European Court of Auditors had also expressed alarm at shortcomings at the agency.
In 2017, Times of Malta had also reported about chaos at the agency that resulted in investigations by the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF. The investigations had focused primarily on the agency’s then-boss, José Carreira, who later stepped down in June 2018.
According to Gregori, the Parliament has now, for the first time in several years, acknowledged the “positive developments” at the agency, something the director believes to be crucial as future plans continue to be laid out.
Added staff helps address some of the shortcomings that had previously hampered the agency’s work
Gregori says the number of staff on the ground has increased significantly, a move that has helped address some of the shortcomings that had previously hampered the agency’s work.
The EASO will soon have around 500 people working in Malta, she said.
What about Malta’s migration issues?
While acknowledging that “the numbers show Malta is under tremendous pressure”, Gregori would not comment on ongoing issues related to migration, saying the EASO’s mandate is to process asylum cases by providing support.
Asked about the government’s decision to hold hundreds of migrants onboard tourist ships off Malta, Gregori insisted the EASO “does not tell governments what to do”, though it did provide assistance with organising relocation between member states.
“I am glad that the government decided, last year, to sign an operational and technical assistance plan because before this had never happened.
“With this operating plan, we agreed to help and support Malta by assisting with vulnerability assessment, for instance, that is very much needed when we talk about asylum seekers and protecting their rights,” Gregori said.
There are currently 38 operational personnel tasked with on-the-ground work in Malta and, by the end of the year, the goal is to have 60 people on this alone, Gregori remarked.
When migrants disembark in Malta, she added, EASO provides assistance with asylum applications, registrations and, together with the Maltese authorities, also works on lists of those migrants eligible for relocation.