VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela described Maltàs return policy one of its “greatest successes in irregular immigration policy,” and urged to see “the same effective results achieved on a European level.”
Abela was speaking to journalists following the European Union council meeting in Brussels. Referring to a meeting with a group of other leaders including European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen on the fringes of the summit, Abela said it was “encouraging to see 10 Member States agreeing on the way forward”.
The European Union is reportedly mulling plans to strengthen its policies towards irregular migration next year. A new draft directive on returns could be circulated to member states as early as February, with new deportation rules and the possibility of ordering migrants to register at centres outside the EU on the cards, according to Politico. Such centres have proved controversial, however, and faced legal challenges; last month, judges in Italy rejected the detention of a group of migrants in Italian-run centres in Albania.
The Maltese Premier spoke about the conflict in Ukraine, and stressed the need for a “dose of realism” while calling for a diplomatic end to the conflict. “Time is up for the narrative of winners and losers. The end to all fighting is the only win that matters in Ukraine”, he said, adding the incoming term of returning US President Donald Trump brought a different dimension to the situation in Ukraine. While emphasising that such a peace should not require Ukraine to relinquish any part of its sovereignty, Abela said that “after three years of war if we do not adopt a different approach, we will have more years of war that lead us nowhere”.
– Photo Department of Information Malta –
(ITALPRESS).
