Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/589122
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2015 News Toyota Malta For more information contact: Michael Debono Limited 0GLQD5RDGĽHEEXã 7HO VDOHV#WR\RWDFRPPW ZZZWR\RWDFRPPW Toyota Gozo Showroom 0ãDUU5RDG ;HZNLMD;:.*R]R 7HO JJV#WR\RWDFRPPW 5 year WARRANTY DEBONO F I N A N C E ONLY 5.5% VARIABLE RATE OVER 6 YEARS Malta issuing highest rate of residence permits in Europe TIM DIACONO MALTA issued 9,895 first-time residence permits to third country nationals last year, by far the high- est rate in Europe. Eurostat statistics reveal that Malta handed out 23.2 first-time residence permits per 1,000 citi- zens in 2014, by far the highest rate in Europe. The second high- est donor was Liechtenstein (19 residence permits per 1,000 peo- ple), followed by Cyprus (16.2 resi- dence permits per 1,000 people). Out of these 9,895 people, 2,077 were granted residence permits for family reasons, 2,924 for edu- cational reasons, 2,044 for em- ployment reasons, and 2,850 for 'other reasons'. By far the biggest proportion – 3,100 – of residence permits issued by Identity Malta last year went to Libyan nationals. It also issued 866 residence permits to Russians and 602 residence permits to Serbians. Identity Malta, the government agency in charge of citizenship and residence, has found itself in the midst of a political storm in recent months, as questions arise over its granting of residence per- mits. Auditor Joe Sammut, who served as Labour treasurer between 1993 and 1992, has been arraigned in court over charges that he set up around 800 false companies as a means of helping Libyan nation- als fleeing their country's civil war obtain Maltese residence permits. Police have also raided Identity Malta's offices, as part of an inves- tigation into a "racket" in the issu- ance of residence permits. The Opposition has called for the resignation of its executive chairman Joe Vella Bonnici in the wake of "institutionalized corrup- tion" within the agency. However, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has claimed that the "racket" has been ongoing for five years and that his government is determined to fight corruption "unlike its predeces- sors". Identity Malta issued 9,895 first-time residence permits last year, 3,100 of which were granted to Libyans FKNK sounds warning over EU revision of firearms laws Critics fear that reopening the directive would allow amendments that would be damaging to legitimate shooting sports MATTHEW VELLA HUNTERS' federation FKNK is claiming that European Commis- sion plans to strengthen the fight against the illegal trafficking of firearms' and revise the Firearms Directive will negatively affect thousands of legitimate Maltese owners of firearms. Amongst these are over 10,000 member hunters of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK), who make up the largest number of firearms' owners within any one entity in Maltese society, and who possess the larg- est number of firearms on the Mal- tese islands. "Although the FKNK completely supports any effort to better control the illegal trafficking of firearms, it fears that any proposed amend- ments to the Directive could be the result of malicious intentions of anti-hunting individuals and enti- ties," the FKNK said. The European Council wants to strengthen the means for fighting firearms trafficking. The Directive is likely to be revised at the begin- ning of 2016 at the latest. In addi- tion, in a press release the Euro- pean Council called on Europol to "closely monitor the threat posed by firearms" and for the Commis- sion to submit a strong minimum standard for the deactivation of firearms by the end of the year. Critics fear that reopening the directive would allow amendments that would be damaging to legiti- mate shooting sports. The FKNK said that through its two council officials on the Maltese Weapons Board, who besides hunt- ers also represent firearms' collec- tors and target shooters, and also with the help of the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Con- servation in the EU (FACE), will be closely monitoring this situation in Brussels in order to safeguard the legal interests, rights and privileges of its members. The hunting lobby supports efforts to control illegal trafficking of firearms but warned this could harm hunters