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Prime Minister’s veto threat ‘short-sighted and misguided – MEP
Nationalist MEP Roberta takes exception at Muscat’s ‘sabre-rattling’ on migration
5 July 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
Roberta Metsola MEP
Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has dubbed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's intention to veto EU laws unless concrete assistance is given to Malta on migration, a "short-sighted and misguided" tactic.
Speaking during her visit to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) where she met executive director Robert Vissser, Metsola discussed building a stronger relationship between EASO and the European Parliament and the importance of the contributions made by the EP committee on civil liberties, on which she is a member.
"While certain aspects of the Common European Asylum System are clearly in the national interest, the re-cast of the Dublin II Regulation as part of the CEAS is unfair because this still requires asylum seekers arriving in a member state to remain the responsibility of that country and, therefore, places a hugely disproportionate burden on Malta," Mestola said.
The MEP said that the rescue of some 300 immigrants off Malta in the last days had shown once again that the pressures on Malta remain acute, but emphasised that politicians have a duty to be responsible and ensure that they do not simply play to the crowds on this emotive topic.
"I remember the tough negotiations that led to Malta being chosen as the seat of the EASO... Malta never threatened other member states, but remained firm throughout the negotiations until it managed to convince its partners in the EU that Malta was the ideal place for the agency to be set up.
"This is the way to get things done in the EU and shows just how short-sighted and misguided the Prime Minister's recent sabre-rattling and threat to veto actually is," Metsola said.
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catholic if you mean that because Maltese emigrants went to toher countries we should accept ILLEGAL immigrants your stance smells of HYPOCRISY. Maltese emigrants went to countries that WANTED immigration, went there LEGALLY after being examined for competence and medically both in Malta and when they arrived in the host country and were never a burden on the taxpayers. The illegal immigrants flagrantly breach all laws by sailing in dangerous vessels, entering other countries illegally, destroying their documents without and examination of competence and health and are a burden on OUR taxes and live like leeches on OUR taxes. Have you ever asked why they destrpy their papers? Have they done something and are escaping justice? Are they thieves, robbers, murderers, terrorists? DO ou feel safe witrh thousands of illegal immigrants running aroung our streets? I and the vast majority of the MAltese p3eople don't.
Emmanuel Mallia •
Ms Metsola, you can rest assured that you will not be getting my vote. You are just like the others at PN, frustrated, full of inferiority complex, because you are Maltese and think that we cannot make our voice heard. We were promised by your Eddie FenechAdami, that once we are inside the EU we shall have a voice !
Emmanuel Mallia •
We need to be a bit radical with the EU. Simple Simon was too soft, and produced no credible results, just cosmetic , unrealistic results, just lawyers bla bla bla
Emmanuel Mallia •
We need to be a bit radical with the EU ! The soft approach of simple simon did no good or produced no credible reults !
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So...Mrs R.Metsola MEP, you have found your voice...while the ex PM Dr Gonzi and ex MEP Dr. Simon Busuttil were kowtowing to Europe with absolutely no positive outcome(and the majority of the Maltese felt that illegal immigration was increasingly becoming a major problem)you accepted this as professional diplomacy...a surly far sighted view from a product of the factory of ideas
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It's a pity when the EU were discussing the issue of burden sharing, you were not a EU parliamentary member to give some advise to Dr. Simon Busuttil on how to deal with the EU on this issue. If
, as you have said, Dr. Joseph Muscat is short-sighted on his VETO threat, will you please, please, please give us an example of what we should do. Why don't you go and ask Simon Busuttil, why he was such a coward when he didn't gave his support to the PL EU members when they wanted that the burden sharing to be compulsory to all the member states.
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Din Maltija jew?
Ghamel akwist minivvutala! Il-min trid tghoggob tiehu dan l'is-stand kontra il-Prim Minstru ta' pajjiza u kontra il-poplu Malti?
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Miss Mazola thank God we do not have a lot like you. It is amazing until you went to Brussels you were unknown to most of us, now you think we are Imzazen and bow our head because a heavily payed Goddess from Brussels has spoken. At present I am reading the Law printing in the Government press in 1914, on two column one in English and one in Italian. Of course no Maltese we are cwiec, imzazzen. My dear those days are gone. The E.U. has turned out to be the Fourth Reich (the Fourth German Empire) and we are let to handle the illegals, that is the truth. Now where do you stand?
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The PN hibernated on this subject almost for 20 years...
Do you expect we hear your advice now? Leave this work in the good hands of our PM .
Last year during a BBC program entitled " The record Europe" where as the theme was "Illegal Immigration & Shengen" Simon did not have even the decency to make reference to Malta on the subject of illegal immigrants arriving to Malta.
" Where there is no will , there is no way " PN motto for 20 years ...
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The PN hibernated on this subject almost for 20 years...
Do you expect we hear your advice now? Leave this work in the good hands of our PM .
Last year during a BBC program entitled " The record Europe" where as the theme was "Illegal Immigration & Shengen" Simon did not have even the decency to make reference to Malta on the subject of illegal immigrants arriving to Malta.
" Where there is no will , there is no way " PN motto for 20 years ...
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Outbound migration[edit]
In the 19th century, most emigration from Malta was to North Africa and the Middle East, although rates of return migration to Malta were high.[117] Nonetheless, Maltese communities formed in these regions. By 1900, for example, British consular estimates suggest that there were 15,326 Maltese in Tunisia, and in 1903 it was claimed that 15,000 people of Maltese origin were living in Algeria.[118]
Malta experienced significant emigration as a result of the collapse of a construction boom in 1907 and after World War II, when the birth rate increased significantly, but in the 20th century most emigrants went to destinations in the New World, particularly the United States and Australia. After World War II, Malta's Emigration Department would assist emigrants with the cost of their travel. Between 1948 and 1967, 30 per cent of the population emigrated.[117] Between 1946 and the late 1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, with 57.6% migrating to Australia, 22% to the UK, 13% to Canada and 7% to the United States.[119]
Maltese migration patterns (1946–1996)[120]
Country To From Net migration Return %
Australia 86,787 17,847 68,940 21.56
Canada 19,792 4,798 14,997 24.24
UK 31,489 12,659 18,830 40.20
USA 11,601 2,580 9,021 22.24
Other 1,647 907 740 55.07
Total 155,060 39,087 115,973 25.21
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" EASO... Malta never threatened other member states, but remained firm throughout the negotiations until it managed to convince its partners in the EU that Malta was the ideal place for the agency to be set up"
Unfortunately, that is not happening in so far as irregular immigrants are concerned. Drastic problems call for drastic measures, Ms Metsola.
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If you say so!?
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Pity Simon Busuttil is no longer representing our country as an MEP. Maybe by this time, burden sharing would have been implemented and the problem of irregular immigration would have been resolved!
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So the best thing dear, is leave in your hands to fix what your party didn't do in 20 years.
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Roberta ma nibdewx nilghabu bil-kliem bl-iskuza tal-freedom of speech. Isthi titkellem b'dak il-mod dwar il-PM tieghek. Inti mhux blogger imma MEP ta' Malta l-ewwel u mhux tal-PN. Ma nistghux nilghabu bil-krizi li qeghdin fiha. Meta kien hemm il-bzonn il-PL inghaqad 100% mal-PN fil-parlament Ewropew. Int tidher li tippreferi l-firda u l-bzonn ta l-EU u mhux dak ta' pajjizi.. Qis mitt darba u aqta' darba. Tonxorx il-hwejjeg qodma fuq quddiem!! Hasra. Bl-atteggament tieghek tista biss taghmel hsara lill-pajjiz, u, forsi, tgawdi int personali ghax tirraguna differenti, aktar minn bl-onesta u l-etika.
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"the re-cast of the Dublin II Regulation as part of the CEAS is unfair because this still requires asylum seekers arriving in a member state to remain the responsibility of that country and, therefore, places a hugely disproportionate burden on Malta," Mestola said" Dan li rnexxielu jgib il-gvern laghqi tieghek.
Sadanittant il-klandestini baqghu jinvaduna, jiffullaw l-iptar li hu fi krizi biex ilehhaq mal Maltin, jaqilghu l-inkwiet u jehdulna xogholna. Tista tghidilna kemm ghanda klandestini jghixu f'darha din l-MEP?
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My God, Metsola in less than 3 months has become an absolute expert at everything. I grant her one expertise though - that she learnt fast from her PN masters how to sow mistrust at the People's Government and at the same time shows how "short-sighted and misguided" tactic she is adopting. She is making exactly the same mistake as her CLIKKA did and has not learnt one iota from the results of the last election. The people want action and not listen to her diatribe.
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With MEP like you Metsola,Malta ghal gol hajt.
You will be punished in the next MEP elections.
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We became seat for EASO. Big deal! Though negotiations give me a break. She should also mention the Frontex joke for that matter. She could also mention how many millions Malta got for housing EASO.
Who's playing to the crowd? Joe Muscat means business because as she say EASO .....CEAS is unfair becasue this still requires asylum seekers arriving in a member state to remain the responsibility of that country and, therefore, places a hugely disproportionate burden on Malta. Well this has to change.
As usual when it come to choosing bewtween Maltese and foriegn interests. The PN is predictable. Anyway they had their chance now sit back and see Labour do the job.
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Anki din, ghada anqas hadet il-maghmudija ta' MEP u diga bdiet tghid il-hmerijiet. Fabbrika tal-hmerijiet kollha kemm huma tal-PN.
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‘short-sighted ?
B'liema lenti qedha tahres lejen din is-sitwazzjoni din l'MEP "LI GHADA HALIB OMMHA FI SNIENA"?
Trid thares lejn din is-sitwazzjoni mil-LENTI TAC-CITTADINI MALTIN , ta' uliedhom u tal-futur taghna u ta' uliedna!
NATIONAL INTEREST FIRST AND FOREMEOST! ~ THIS IS THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE MALTESE ~ Our future is at stake!
Priscilla Darmenia •
Ms Metsola; for 10 years since membership in the EU your GonziPN government and your fellow ex-PN-MEP did not achieve any results with your EU (foreign in general) lickey policy. We need a leader with guts to stand up to the EU as Thatcher did stand up for the UK's rights and won. The setting up of the EASO agency did not solve our immigration problem - did it? No - things are not done as you said in the EU. They did not work. It is time to try something else and very hard to show them that although we are small we mean business.
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With all due respect to Mrs Metsola, she is a fine one to talk about illegal immigrants and the problems it is causing the Maltese. Am I wrong or does the lady live in Brussels and has done so for the past many years in other words she is not a Maltese resident? It is so easy to pontificate when the problem does not affect you Mrs Metsola. Why don't you come to Safi to see what it means to live near a camp and the problems we have when some of them escape and we live in terror inside out houses? No this is not an exaggeration of fact but the truth. I also understand that the lady earns very good money from her MEP posting, so why not take a few of these poor people with her and give them refuge in her home? Or is it a case where it is ok as long as it is not in my back yard? The PN has not learnt to rein in its politicians and that their defeat is attributable to their empty words and hypocrisy.
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Ms Metsola, our interest is to safeguard our Nation, cause no one else will. I expect you as a Maltese representative to fight for Burden sharing and obtain the much needed funds to help these people. Don't forget that the next MEP elections will be held in 8 months time.
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It's been a good 10 years or so of a PN government providing facilities for illegal immigrants and absolutely nothing has been done so far from EU member states. Whatever Ms Metsola may think, it's about time that at last there's someone who's courageous enough to grab the bull by the horns and address the issue with all his might. Thanks Dr. Muscat.
