Muscat’s ‘satisfactory’ outcome raises serious doubts amongst Oppositon, Greens
Greens deplore postponement of Mediterranean migration issue • Simon Busuttil says Muscat lost out on mention of relocation system for migrants in Malta.
The Green Party has joined a chorus of disapproval on the postponement of 'concrete' action by the European Council, after the EU's heads of state pushed a decision on the steps to be taken on the Mediterranean migration issue to December.
"It is shameful," Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said. "This means that at the moment of truth the European Council was incapable of putting into practice the European values of respect towards life and human dignity.
"The EU has for years been postponing decisions on real and practical solidarity on the Mediterranean migration issue as an EU issue. Malta should publicly support the positions taken by the European Greens and recently reiterated by EU Parliament President Schultz on responsibility sharing and the reform of the Dublin II Convention as well as the creation of legal migration channels into the EU."
Yesterday Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the achievement was positive, but Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said the outcome of the Council conclusions were disappointing.
"At this moment of truth, the Greens in Malta support the Maltese government's insistence, as supported by the Greek and Italian governments, that immigration on the Mediterranean border of the Union is an EU issue like any other," Cacopardo said. "AD understands that it is necessary that the Maltese government uses strong language in its criticism of the EU position, yet it hopes that its decisions are such that the human dignity of the immigrants is respected at all times."
Yesterday PN leader Simon Busuttil said Muscat had emerged from the European Council without any concrete solutions after having repeatedly stated he would not emerge from the Council room if he was not satisfied with the outcome.
"He's simply playing for time. The new conclusions add nothing to what was already said in the past years or in preceding Council meetings. Actually, they are a step back because it does not even make a specific reference to Malta's actual situation, as happened in recent years. The Prime Minister did not manage to influence what was discussed in the Council," Busuttil said.
The PN leader said the conclusions do not even mention "relocation of migrants" towards other EU member states, "putting paid to Muscat's stamping of feet," Busuttil added.
"As Opposition leader he criticised the relocation of some 700 migrant from Malta to the EU because this was not a mandatory burden sharing system. Now he has not even managed to win the support for a voluntary burden sharing system. This shows it is only persuasion and reason that can convince other EU states to take concrete action."