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EC President to France: ‘do not exaggerate migration issue’
Addressing the French media, EU council President Herman Van Rompuy appealed for the migration issue not to be “exaggerated”.
18 April 2011, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
Van Rompuy’s comments followed France’s decision to block the passage of Italian trains to prevent Tunisian migrants from entering its territory.
Trains coming from Ventimiglia yesterday and carrying some 300 Tunisian migrants were stopped at the border for hours by French authorities.
The action drew a formal protest from Rome and accusations it was violating European principles.
In a statement issued by Italy’s foreign ministry, Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini instructed the country’s ambassador in Paris to express “the firm protest of the Italian government to the French authorities.”
It added that “France’s actions are illegitimate and in clear violation of general European principles.”
Italian news agency ANSA reports that - according to a French interior ministry spokesman - the decision to block the trains was a temporary measure taken for safety reasons due to the demonstrations around the station.
The blockade comes after weeks of enhanced border checks and reported push backs of Tunisian economic migrants to Italy’s Ventimiglia who were trying to go to France.
Since the ousting of former Tunisian president Ben Ali, some 26,000 migrants have fled to Italy. Most of them did not apply for refugee status and thus were free to leave the immigration centres which are to support asylum seekers.
In April, Italy had signed a deal with Tunisia to repatriate new migrants arriving to Lampedusa. But the same deal does not cover those migrants who arrived befoe April. Italy has therefore began issuing migrants with temporary “humanitarian” residence permits allowing them to leave Italy to travel to other destinations in Europe - a policy which has been criticised by several of its partners, including France and Germany.
Speaking to French media on the incident, Van Rompuy advised France not to blow things out of proportion: “Of course there’s a risk of migration, but we must not exaggerate it.”
"Neither Italy, nor France has yet done anything illegal. That said, there is a danger of their not respecting the spirit of the Schengen treaty on free movement," he added.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Bejn il-linji (what a silly moniker; why on earth don't you use your name?), there are many who bear responsibility for the situation that migrants find themselves in. However this does not excuse us or justify our being indifferent to their plight.
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Whatever Lowell and Joseph Muscat say we will continue to rescue all those we can. As long as Gonzi is PM we will do our utmost to not let people drown.
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Of course, the story will be different if Muscat ever becomes PM. Then, many will die because of our "national interest". If you can live with that . . .
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Antoine Vella note that those sending these poor souls in th middle of the ocean and those AWACS that leave these boats leaving libya are drowning the migrants. Above all the main culprit -to be diplomatic- is the one using the issue for the presidential elections.
At least up to now both PL and PN are sensitive of the issue. MALTA NEEDS TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE IN LIBYA TO STOP THE CIVIL WAR.... AS YOU CAN SEE IN SYRIA NO UN MANDATE HAS BEEN USED TO SAVE PEOPLE...OTHERWISE THE MIGRANTS WILL BE DROWNING WHETHER WE MANAGE TO SAVE 90% AT MOST OR LESS....
BEWARE ITALY FOR THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF MALTA...LIKE HUNGRY SHARKS...SO VISIBLE
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Sad indeed. Only in Malta is the government of Gonzi and Karm saying that Malta can take more illegal migrants. I wonder what other PN thinks. I as a Nationalist along with the vast majority of other Natiionlist do not support Gonzi and Karm MIfsud Bonnici. I want Malta's national interest to come first. Maybe Gonzi and Karm are acting this way because they know that they have lost the next election already and will now destroy Malta in the process.
Luke Camilleri •
Wasn't this chap just over here paying us a visit? why wasn't Safi barracks and Marsa Open center not included on his route?
What nationality is he, with such a perception? ITALY DID SOEMTHING ILLEGAL, THEY DID NOT TAKE THE 171 MIGRANTS....
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SABUNA GHAL TAHT SNIIENA BIL-PRIM LI GHANDNA!
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Migrants crossing to France from Italy do not drown so France's over-reaction is not putting their lives in danger.
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On the contrary, what Joseph Muscat is saying means that hundreds of people will die. That is not going to happen - end of story.
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@ Louise Vella. Yes but please remember that our Gonzipn has par idejn sodi. I doubt if he has any meat balls with all due respect to you. Same as his uncle the Archbishop, he pretends that he has been Heavenly sent to solve the migration problem when practically ALL EU members are running away from it.
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France, a big country, shuts its borders to illegal immigrants. Dr Gonzi, prime minister of a tiny island, speaks of Christian values.
