Malta pushes for ‘fair sharing of migration responsibility’ in Brussels

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat wants European Union leaders to take a stand on irregular migration which goes beyond statements of solidarity.

Muscat is currently at the second working session of the European Council after which he will be addressing the Maltese press. On the insistence of Malta, Italy and Greece, migration has been placed on this morning's agenda.

Malta has also been seeking support from other member states for the approval of a draft conclusion on migration that calls for a returns policy and prevention of human trafficking, amongst others.

Minutes before the Council's meeting, the Maltese Prime Minister reiterated his call for concrete action by the European Union.

"The EU must today state clearly whether it is committed to fair sharing of responsibility and determined action on immigration," Muscat said on Twitter.

#EU must today state clearly whether it is committed to fair sharing of responsibility and determined action on #immigration -JM #EUCO — Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) October 25, 2013

Over the past few months, Malta made its pitch that it could no longer face the migratory pressures of irregular migrants fleeing North African countries, especially Libya as a country of transit.

"We are building a cemetery within our Mediterranean Sea," Muscat said in an interview with the CNN. "Europe is not taking decisive action to help us front-liners - ourselves, Italy, Greece - save more lives."

Over the past two decades, 20,000 people have died trying to make the journey from North Africa to Europe, CNN's Hala Gorani reports.

"We're not exactly a military superpower," Muscat told Gorani. "It is quite exceptional that it is up to us and a couple of other countries to see through and rescue hundreds of people per year - hundreds of desperate people fleeing first from Somalia, Eritrea, now even Syria."

He added he "wouldn't want to believe that for Europe, money is more important than people."

Muscat also admitted that Malta had to do more to improve its detention conditions but also said the country was being left alone.

"You know, no one comes with a passport or with an identity card or a driving license," Muscat said. "So unless there is a detention period, it is impossible for us to make sure that amongst those genuine people who are fleeing from war, there isn't some threat to security."