Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/390250
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2014 News 5 seekers and its track record in hu- man rights. Avramopoulos was asked about his own country's track record, and diplomatically, the Commissioner- designate declined to comment: "Please don't ask me about the do- mestic policy of the country that knows me best." He committed himself to under- taking initiatives to establish legal and safe routes for asylum seekers. "We need a legal framework. Not just on asylum. But for irregular mi- gration as well. We should be quite decisive in fighting against people smugglers," he said. He argued that legal migration would benefit the European Union, which was facing "a major demo- graphic issue". "We need to increase competitive- ness," he said, ostensibly referring to Europe's demand for skilled labour. Avramopoulos said the EU knew about the numbers of deaths be- cause the corpses were found, "but there are many corpses that were never found". The first question he fielded was from Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola who raised the issue of lack of soli- darity between member states, not- withstanding the pressure placed by the European Parliament. Speaking in Maltese, she also asked what guarantees could he give to ensure the proper surveillance of the Mediterranean and whether he was ready to give a concrete com- mitment to tackle those criminal networks of traffickers that prey on the vulnerable. Due to the time limit for eve- ry question, Avramopoulos was stopped just as he started to speak about Malta. He however reiterated his com- mitment to order an in-depth study of the recent revision to the Dub- lin Regulation and what changes should have been carried out. Avramopoulos was clear that some points of the Dublin Regula- tion should be revised, but the ba- sic principle of solidarity should be respected. With questions raised on whether Italy would be halting the Mare Nostrum operation – a costly hu- manitarian operation that saved thousands of lives at sea and which saw Italy taking the majority of the influx – Avramopoulos reiterated that no EU operation will replace Italy's operation. According to the Commissioner- designate, Frontex – which he de- scribed as an "excellent organisa- tion" – was doing a good job, but he couldn't say what will happen to the future of Mare Nostrum. However, he said, the EU will be launching the Triton operation, to support Frontex. "It is also true that we don't have SELECTED RECOMMENDATIONS 'foreseeable' disaster GOVERNMENT OF MALTA REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Concessions for the Set-up and Operation of Aquaculture Farms in the South East Aquaculture Zone The Privatisation Unit ('PU'), acting on behalf of the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, is issuing a public Request for Proposals in connection with the concession for the Set-up and Operation of Aquaculture Farms in the South East Aquaculture Zone. The PU is inviting submissions for the Request for Proposals (RFP) from reputable persons and/or entities with the necessary experience and resources to undertake such task. In the first instance, interested parties are invited to communicate with the PU, at the email address shown below, expressing their interest to undertake the task. Once this initial communication takes place, the PU will forward a process letter inviting interested parties to collect the RFP document. The process letter will explain the procedure to be followed for the collection and submission of the RFP document. Closing date for collecting the RFP: 24 th October 2014 (12.00hours CET). Closing date for the submission of the RFP: 28 th November 2014 (12.00hours CET). The Chairman Privatisation Unit Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business 4, Clock Tower, Level 1 Tigne Point Sliema TP01 Tel: (+356) 22209572 Email: privatisation.meib@gov.mt Website: privatisation.gov.mt 'authority that protects borders, To Italy Maintain OMN until it can » be safely replaced without protection gaps by another viable operation of comparable scale, with at least the same level of resources and trained staff. OMN should deploy its assets where most needed to ensure timely response to requests of assistance. To Malta Employ a broader definition » of distress at sea aimed at maximizing the protection of life, including by applying the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 656/2014 to all SAR operations coordinated by Malta RCC. Ratify and implement the 2004 » SAR and SOLAS amendments. To Italy and Malta With regard to the 11 October » 2013 shipwreck, establish an independent inquiry in each country to investigate the possible failures to act of all those involved and ensure that the inquiries cooperate with each other. Judicial investigations and prosecutions should follow where relevant. Ensure also that victims and their families enjoy their right to reparation, which includes access to the truth and a guarantee of non-repetition. EU institutions and member states Offer more safe and regular » routes to refugees to access protection, including by: Increasing resettlement and » humanitarian admission places for refugees, Facilitating family reunification » for refugees who have family members living in the EU, Applying a broad definition » of family members to include extended or non-nuclear family, and Applying flexibility as to » documentary and other requirements. Ensure that refugees who » arrive at the EU's external land borders are able to access asylum procedures. Strengthen SAR operations in » the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, including by committing adequate financial, naval and aerial resources to Frontex to enable it to patrol the Mediterranean and Aegean seas at a level commensurate with the scale of departures from North African coasts. Ensure that any Frontex-led » operation in the central Mediterranean clearly articulates the delivery of SAR activities as a priority and that Frontex assets are deployed in sufficient number throughout both Italy and Malta's SAR zones. Take urgent measures to ensure » the recording of information on and identification of refugees and migrants who die or are lost at sea, especially through a systematic debriefing of people rescued at sea; and establish a EU centralized database and communication mechanism to provide official information to families. Review the implementation of » the Dublin Regulation with the aim of ensuring in a consistent manner throughout the EU that family reunification, including for extended family relations, is facilitated, and that travelling to EU member states beyond the country of entry for this purpose is allowed. their obligations under the SAR Convention, Amnesty said the fol- lowing possible breaches of SAR ob- ligations emerge: the failure of the captain of the Italian Navy vessel Libra to direct herself at full speed towards the boat requesting assist- ance, as required by the SOLAS Convention; the failure of the Italian authorities to order her to do so, as required by the UNCLOS; and the failure of the Maltese authorities to provide assistance to the boat after officially having taken charge of the case, as required by the SAR Con- vention, by ensuring co-ordination and cooperation with other states, namely Italy. Review of Dublin Regulation Amnesty International said that Italy's Operation Mare Nostrum, launched in the aftermath of the Lampedusa tragedy, revealed the "impracticality of Dublin arrange- ments" in that a vast number of the people rescued and disembarked have moved on irregularly to apply for asylum in other European coun- tries where they have family, rela- tives or other links. In 2014, up to the end of August, only 25,026 asylum claims were re- portedly lodged in Italy. Germany and Sweden each received far more. The number of boat arrivals high- lighted protection gaps and chal- lenges in Italy, particularly as re- gards reception conditions and local integration of refugees. "Deficien- cies in the Italian system for recep- tion and support might explain the growing numbers of asylum seekers who refuse to be fingerprinted to avoid being subjected to the Dublin procedure and being stuck in Italy." But Amnesty said the Dublin sys- tem does not consider the question of responsibility for asylum appli- cations – "one that would imply a system which was not based almost exclusively on the principle that the member state responsible for a person's presence on the territory of the EU should be responsible for considering his or her asylum re- quest." "It is clear that the Dublin system needs to be fundamentally reformed in order to allow asylum seekers to go where they have wider family ties or stronger links and better pros- pects of integration and support. "Consideration should also be giv- en to allow people who are granted refugee or subsidiary protection status to move freely within the ter- ritory of the EU upon recognition of their status. Such a reform would go some way to addressing the migra- tion-related concerns of countries such as Italy and Malta that have been disincentivizing them from carrying out SAR operations." Frontex challenge Amnesty said that the announce- ment at the end of August 2014 that the EU would deploy a Frontex op- eration to complement the efforts of Italy and Malta was a step in the right direction. But it said that considerable doubts remain over both the ability of Frontex to deliver search and res- cue operations at the level currently required and in the areas where they are needed; and the resources the EU and its member states will invest in it. "In the absence of a broader review of EU mechanisms for sharing the responsibility for – and distributing the cost of – receiving and process- ing irregular migrants and asylum- seekers, disputes over disembarka- tion are likely to plague Frontex-led search and rescue operations," Am- nesty said. "Tackling the network of smug- glers and traffickers exploiting and mistreating those desperately seek- ing Europe's shores is necessary, but not, in itself, a solution to the big- ger forces at play. In the long-run, the EU and its member states need to reflect on how they can open up more safe and legal routes to enter the EU for both migrants and, es- pecially, the refugees who compose almost half of all those arriving ir- regularly by sea."