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8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JUNE 2026 ANALYSIS Maltese MEPs on the 'far right' side The European Parliament's vote on the EU Return Regulation saw both Maltese Labour and Nationalist enforcement in a highly polarised parliament, where enraged socialists and leftists overwhelmingly voted THE European Parliament's vote on 17 June on the EU Re- turn Regulation was procedur- al, but politically it was a sym- bolic marker of alignment in Europe's polarised migration debate. The 389–206 vote, with 32 abstentions, revealed a grow- ing convergence between the European People's Party (EPP), significant portions of the con- servative right, and far-right groupings on the direction of EU return policy. It also gave the impression of a far right that is setting the agenda, with the centre right following. While the legislation con- cerns the technical framework for returning irreg- ular migrants and exploring "return hubs" in third countries, the political sig- nal was clearer than the legal detail. Deporta- tion-focused migration policy is increasingly becoming a shared reference point across the centre-right and right-wing spectrum in the European Par- liament. Within this configuration, Malta's two main political delegations—Labour Party (PL) and the Nationalist Party (PN)—both found themselves on the same side of this broad- er alignment, despite belonging to opposing European political families. PN MEPs voted with the EPP majority in favour of opening negotiations, consistent with a centre-right emphasis on administrative efficiency and strengthened enforcement tools. More striking, however, was the position of the Labour delegation. Alex Agius Saliba, Daniel Attard and Thomas Ba- jada joined four other socialists in supporting the file, breaking with the overwhelming major- ity of the Socialist and Demo- cratic (S&D) group, where 85 MEPs voted against, six ab- stained, and only seven voted in favour. The four other socialist MEPs voting with the right hailed from Greece, Slovenia and Austria. The Labour MEPs' stance placed them closer to the EPP– right-wing voting axis than to their own political family on a core ideological divid- ing line within EU politics—whether migration should be governed pri- marily through d e t e r r e n c e and return, or through rights- based and soli- darity-oriented frameworks. On Facebook, Agius Saliba took umbrage at a meme by the European Greens singling out four socialist MEPS who voted with the right for "bringing ICE style deportations to Europe". He insisted that his sole inter- est is defending the national in- terest. By taking on the Greens, Saliba was oblivious to the fact that his stance is completely out of synch with that of his own political family and thus rendering himself a convenient punching bag for parties com- peting with the socialists from the left. The Labour MEPs defend- ed their position by arguing that Malta's frontline realities require a more effective and coordinated European return system. This framing reflects a recurring national argument in Maltese European politics— geographic exposure to migra- tion flows necessitates prag- matic alignment on enforcement measures, regardless of ideo- logical positioning at EU level. By contrast, the socialist re- sponse to the broader legislative direc- tion was sharp- ly critical. The S&D group c o n d e m n e d what it de- scribed as a political shift towards importing a "Trump-style" mi- gration rhetoric into Europe, warning against an "ICE-style" deportation model and arguing that "send them back" framing re- duces complex hu- man situations to coercive slogans. The group stressed that such an ap- proach, risks undermining fun- damental rights and normalis- ing a punitive understanding of migration govern- ance. In short, the divide at Euro- pean level was between a right which gives pri- ority to puni- tive measures to combat immigra- tion and a political left which is more em- pathic and emphasises human dignity. Mosque no, deportations ok Beyond party politics, the vote also triggered concern from the Catholic Church's in- stitutional voice in EU affairs. This raises questions for the PN, led by a leader who re- cently emphasised the party's Christian democratic identity when opposing the construc- tion of a mosque. Yet, the party has shown no comparable hes- itation in di- verging from church posi- tions on mi- gration poli- cy matters. It also un- derlies how the EPP has moved from nominal ad- herence to Christian and universal values to a discourse framed by concerns on security and national identity. No won- der that back in 2014, Fr Peter JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The European Parliament's vote on migrant return regulations cemented Europe's Labour representatives this meant breaking with their own political family (Photo: The meme published by the Greens taking a pot shot at the socialist MEPs who broke ranks with their own political family to vote with the centre-right and far- right on migrant return regulations The Labour MEPs defended their position by arguing that Malta's frontline realities require a more effective and coordinated European return system. This framing reflects a recurring national argument in Maltese European politics Thomas Bajada Alex Agius Saliba Daniel Attard