Greens accuse EPP, S&D of ‘egoism’

The lack of interest by member states to focus on reforming the Dublin II regulation is the result of "egoism" of prime ministers hailing from EPP and S&D wings, Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola said today.

Yesterday in Brussels, the leaders of the 28 member states agreed to have a clear timeframe for the implementation of the 38-point action plan on migration, with EU leaders agreeing that the European Commission should indicate the timeframes for its implementation.

Cassola said that it was positive that EU leaders accepted to tie the 38-point immigration action plan to timeframes that have to be indicated by the European Commission.

"However, there was no mention of a real solution to Malta's situation which requires a drastic reform of the Dublin II convention," Cassola said.

The reform would allow migrants to move from Malta, he said.

"The egoism of the PPE and Socialist Prime Ministers knows no bounds.  A good number of them just do not care about responsibility and burden sharing and the changing of the Dublin convention and thus Malta is being left in the lurch by them."

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil was equally critical of the Brussels meeting, saying that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat failed to achieve anything. He said that the points agreed to already exist in the Asylum Pact signed in 2008 while a number of proposals which Muscat has pushed for already exist.