Internal Affairs speaker for the Malta Labour Party (MLP) Gavin Gulia urged the government to obtain support from Frontex, after joint patrols near Malta to safeguard the island from illegal immigration have not yet commenced. Gavin Gulia explained that Such patrols were meant to commence at the beginning of this month and Frontex is already carrying out its activities near Spain, while activities near Lampesuda are expected to start briefly.
Quoting Italian newspaper La Repubblica' the MLP speaker added that after Lampedusa’s situation was defined as ‘alarming’ by Interior Minister Giuliano Amato a delegation comprised of two representatives from the EU and a Frontex representative agreed verify the current situation on the Italian island. Gavin Gulia stated that although Lampedusa’s illegal immigration problem is indeed worrying; it is not as severe as Malta’s, mainly because Malta is a sovereign country with a large population density whereas Lampedusa is inhabited by a few hundred people and forms part of Italy.
For this reasons he urged the government to take action and make sure that Malta’s illegal immigration problem is not cast aside. He added that the Frontex joint patrols in the Mediterranean Sea and near routes illegal immigrants travel to reach the Maltese islands are essential, because Malta cannot deal with the pressures of illegal immigration alone.
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