EU Affairs
EU states step up patrol technical support
By MaltaMedia News
Apr 19, 2007 - 9:01:40 AM

Malta's  illegal immigration problems might be eased by a European Union (EU) member states' pledge to increase their support for Frontex by providing it with more technical support. EU states have promised to increase their support for the bloc's Mediterranean borders' watchdog against illegal immigration by providing it with a total of 21 planes, 24 helicopters and 109 boats, jurnalo reported EU diplomats as saying.

Two months ago, EU countries had also offered to send Europe's border watchdog Frontex eight patrol planes, 13 helicopters and 38 patrol boats.

EU ministers are also expected to push ahead with plans to establish teams of national experts that can be deployed quickly to support member states faced with massive arrivals of illegal immigrants, mainly from poor African countries to islands in the Mediterranean, among these Malta, Lampedusa and the Canary islands.

The 27-member bloc's Justice Ministers along with officials from Norway and Iceland are also expected to discuss efforts to boost Frontex' activities at a meeting in Luxembourg later during the week.

New support for the border control agency would also include aircraft and satellite monitoring systems, the EU diplomats said.   However, according to jurnalo, the initiative still needs the approval of the European Parliament and a final green light from EU member states.

Earlier this month it emerged that improved naval patrols more than halved the flow of illegal immigrants sailing to Spain from Africa in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the previous year. So far this year, 28 illegal immigrants have reached the Maltese coast this year. These join hundreds of others residing in Maltese detention and open centres around the island.

Read more about this issue on MaltaMedia's special feature: Lanċa Ġejja u Oħra Sejra: Malta and its migrations.