The seven members forming the delegation hail from various European entities concerned with reception including Fedasil from Belgium, Hero from Norway, and the Danish Red Cross. Mr. Maarten Visser from the Central Organization for Asylum Seekers from the Netherlands) headed the delegation.

The delegation held talks with various Ministry officials from the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs and the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity during which Malta’s particular circumstances in relation to immigration were discussed and views exchanged with regards to reception practices across Europe.  

The ENARO visit also linked up to an EU project financed under the ARGO programme. ARGO is an action programme for administrative cooperation at European Union (EU) level in the fields of asylum, visas, immigration and external borders. In this context the visit builds on the work carried out locally within the same framework. The project Intra-European Burden-sharing in the field of Asylum, is being run in partnership between the Government of Malta and the Dutch Government.

This project has enabled the upgrading of open and closed centers. Also as a result of this project 36 refugees were resettled in the Netherlands last year under an innovative burden-sharing arrangement now also being offered by other EU member states.

In turn, a Delegation from the International Red Cross Movement visited the Malta Red Cross Society from the 19th to the 21st February 2007 to assess and help the Society in its humanitarian activities with refugees and other immigrant affairs.

The delegation visited Government’s open and closed reception centres in order to assess possible areas of assistance.

The delegation later paid a visit to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs where the issue of irregular immigration was discussed with senior officials from the same Ministry and the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity.  

During the meeting constructive cooperation between the Malta Red Cross and the Authorities were discussed concerning future projects and cooperation as well as possible support from other National Red Cross Societies.