Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546061
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 AUGUST 2026 NEWS EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt THE government has doubled the minimum amount that can be charged through on-the-spot fines from €25 to €50, following a legal change that came into force on Tuesday. The increase was introduced through a legal notice enact- ed into law on Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela an- nounced. "This is another step towards ensuring more order and more respect for our communities," Abela said in a post on Face- book. "When the law is enforced in an effective manner, everyone wins. We will continue taking the necessary decisions so that the law is respected," he added. On-the-spot fines were intro- duced last month in response to concerns over antisocial behaviour by tourists, particu- larly in Malta's busiest tourist areas. The fines apply only to non-habitual residents, a cat- egory that includes anyone in Malta who is neither a Mal- tese citizen nor the holder of a Maltese residence document. Under the legislation, anyone who refuses to pay an on-the- spot fine immediately can have travel documents, including passports and identity cards, confiscated by the police until the penalty is settled. The moves comes after dur- ing summer a number of vid- eos surfaced on social media showing tourists bothering residents and breaking the law. Videos of tourists bothering residents and breaking the law have been making the rounds on social media (Screenshots: Swieqi Pressure Group/Facebook) Minimum on-the-spot fines for tourists doubled to €50 Bedingfield calls for tougher EU migration policy after Ceuta crisis EU officials called for the meeting after around 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta in less than 24 hours DURING an urgent online meeting with EU interior min- isters, Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield expressed Malta's full solidarity with Spain while calling for a migra- tion policy that is tough on ir- regular migration and addresses its root causes. EU officials convened the meeting after around 72,000 migrants crossed from Moroc- co into the Spanish territory of Ceuta in less than 24 hours. At least 83 people died during the crossings, including 72 on the Spanish side of the border and 11 on the Moroccan side. Some drowned, while others were crushed as they attempted to cross the breakwater mark- ing the border. Bedingfield said the events in Ceuta demonstrated how quickly migration pressures could emerge and intensify. He argued that the EU already had the legal framework and operational tools required to re- spond effectively. Efforts should therefore focus on making fast- er and more effective use of ex- isting instruments rather than creating new mechanisms, he said. Bedingfield also stressed the importance of advancing re- cently announced measures, in- cluding return hubs, while im- proving the effectiveness of the EU's return system. The minister called for a bal- anced migration policy that is tough on irregular migration while also addressing its root causes. This, he said, required stronger protection of the EU's external borders, intensified ac- tion against migrant smugglers and criminal networks, more effective return procedures, and deeper cooperation with coun- tries of origin and transit. At the same time, Bedingfield called for a united EU response based on solidarity, practical cooperation and a fair sharing of responsibility among mem- ber states. "Now is the time to stand united as a union," Bedingfield said. "We must support mem- ber states under pressure, safe- guard the integrity of the EU's external borders, and demon- strate that we can respond ef- fectively to migratory challeng- es while addressing their root causes." Bedingfield commended Spain's rapid implementation of voluntary returns for the vast majority of those who crossed into Ceuta, as well as the im- mediate measures taken to strengthen border security. On Tuesday, Spanish Home Affairs Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed that 70,000 of the 72,000 irregu- lar migrants had been returned to Morocco over the previous few days. He also insisted that the crisis had not compromised Europe's visa-free travel zone, after sev- eral member states called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement area. Bedingfield concluded by stressing that the immedi- ate priority was to ensure that Spain retained full control of its external border, with support from EU agencies wherever necessary. Over 60,000 migrants crossed over from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta