On the other hand, Malta will on Monday formally propose "burden sharing and concrete solidarity" during search and rescue operations inside international and third country waters. The suggestion will be made during the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. European Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini made the announcement on Wednesday following contacts with Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg and Foreign Minister Michael Frendo on illegal migration in the Mediterranean.

The discussion followed a late addition to the agenda of the European Parliament Plenary Session whereby MEPs debated European solidarity, the protection of rights of migrants and the management of Europe's maritime borders. The European Commission's Franco Frattini has shown deep frustration over how EU capitals are failing on promises to give boats and helicopters to tackle illegal migration in the Mediterranean, calling African deaths at sea a "European failure", EU Observer reported.

"I need genuine cooperation," the home affairs commissioner said on Wednesday, adding it is "a matter of urgency" to translate recent political commitment, given in writing, into action.

The leaders of both Maltese delegations at the EP, Simon Busuttil and Louis Grech defended Malta and appealed to the Commission to put in place the resources necessary so that the island can be helped.

Within two weeks, the bloc's external border agency Frontex is set to kick off a new series of patrols in the Mediterranean coastal area – known as operation Nautilus – in order to halt the influx of illegal immigrants, crossing over from North Africa to Europe. However, the agency has only 20 boats and four helicopters at its disposal.

Frontex had been promised 115 boats, 25 helicopters and 23 planes as well as a variety of other technical equipment by no later than April - when EU southern and south-eastern borders (Canary Islands, Lampedusa, Malta) begin to face increasing pressure due to favourable weather conditions, EU Observer said.

On top of that, only four countries – Malta, Greece, France and Germany – have pledged to take part in operation Nautilus, expected to last the entire peak of the illegal immigrant season.

The move comes in response to the series of happenings in the waters between Malta and Libya in the past months.

According to the commissioner, Malta will table a proposal to have a burden-sharing and solidarity system on patrolling search and rescue areas of international waters, as the current law of the sea stipulates that lives must be saved no matter what, but it does not say who should be responsible for illegal immigrants afterwards.

"Malta cannot be responsible alone. Burden-sharing means that Malta should participate, but also that other member states should participate," said Mr Frattini.

EU interior ministers are scheduled to meet next Tuesday, 12 June.

Read more about this issue in MaltaMedia's Special Feature Lanċa Ġejja u Ohra Sejra