Malta needs national committee to coordinate €23 million asylum system, NAO finds

Malta’s Auditor General has issued a report showing Malta is carrying a disproportionate burden of asylum seekers due to the relatively high number of irregular arrivals, while national entities struggle without material support of other EU Member States.

In an NAO audit on the fulfiling of obligations towards asylym seekers, the NAO declared that Malta needed “international solidarity, through a fair and practical process of burden-sharing, that moves from words and declarations to action.”

Government expenditure relating to the international protection process amounted to €23.8 million in 2019, the NAO found.

Of these, €12 million were spent running open centres, food provision and providing medical services. Another €5.4 million was spent on running detention centres.

The Maltese government then spent a further €1.9 million through EU funds on the international protection application process, accommodation within the closed and open centres, and procedures related to returns, relocation or resettlement.

Overall, Malta was approximately allocated €20.8 million through EU funds, of which till October 2020, €11.5 million were paid.

The NAO found shortcomings in the the reception, detention and accommodation of asylum seekers, saying the framework was detailed enough to determine resources required for this effort.

It also said the detention period of asylum seekers was rendered more taxing as the detention centre was overcrowded and poorly maintained and subject to significant staff shortages, lack of Information Technology (IT) systems and record-keeping weaknesses.

Open centres run by the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) were operating at, or close to, capacity. These were generally characterised by overcrowding and required more administrative and professional staff to provide the desired level of service to the asylum seekers.

2019 proved to be a difficult year for the International Protection Agency, when it had to deal with an abnormal number of applications despite shortage of staff to process applications from

previous years, resulting in 3,574 applications outstanding at end of 2019. The NAO also said most of the Refugee Appeals Board’s members lacked adequate legal background and experience in asylum matters.

The NAO said the home affairs ministry should set up a working group or committee that oversees the whole asylum process managed by the different entities, in order to make the asylum processes as seamless and efficient as possible, minimising unnecessary delays.

It said each entity should ensure its operations are governed by clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and written procedures. It also said that a robust monitoring set-up for all services should ensure services are delivered in a timely and efficient manner with ull traceability of interventions provided.

It also said the National Asylum Seekers Management System (NASMS) information system should be more comprehensive to facilitate tracking of information related to the asylum seekers and irregular migrants’ stay in Malta.

Irregular migration and the international protection process have been among the more sensitive and challenging issues which Malta had to contend with since 2002, when over 1,600 persons reached Malta’s shores through unregistered boats. In the years that followed, the problem of irregular migration persisted with regular frequency. Statistics show that during the period 2018 to 2019, 4,850 persons reached Malta irregularly by 59 boats landings. The vast majority of these persons applied for international protection.

Under Maltese law, unsuccessful applicants for international protection are served with a return decision which is usually followed up by a removal order.

Maltese entities face several challenges to effect a return, such as refusal by the receiving state’s authorities to provide positive identification and documentation. Matters become more complicated by the lack of consular representation in many third countries and the lack of direct flights. This Office acknowledges the recent successful efforts by national authorities to relocate asylum seekers.