Labour welcomes ‘historic’ agreement on migration

The Labour Party has welcomed an agreement reached last night by the European Council by which member states agreed to the relocation of 40,000 refugees from Italy and Greece.

In a statement, the PL described the agreement as a “historic step forward with which the EU is showing concrete solidarity”.

“In just a little more than two years, the number of migrants reaching Maltese shores has dropped drastically. And now, the EU has agreed with what Muscat has proposed,” it said, referring to an intervention by Muscat that sealed the agreement.

The National Statistics Office reported that the number of irregular migrants dropped by 71.7% in 2014 when compared to the previous year – mostly thanks to a political decision taken by Italy to take in all migrants rescued by Italy and Malta.

The Labour Party said the decision of the European Council for the relocation and resettlement of migrants “effectively seals another electoral pledge by the Labour Party”. Echoing its leader’s words, the PL said the decision set a clear precedent in that Malta would be helped if it finds itself in an emergency.

The PL praised Muscat for showing himself “strong with the politicians” and achieving solidarity where others failed.