Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/602004
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2015 Opinion 22 T he curtains have been drawn over the Valletta Summit and analysis over its outcome by politicians and media abound. Likewise I have my own assessment of results achieved during this forum. It has served as a platform for dialogue between Europe and Africa. It provided a window of opportunity for Malta to embark on building a better rapport with African countries, with whom bilateral discussions were lacking or even non-existent. The Summit didn't simply result in more of the same. It involved a larger number of countries that clearly acknowledge the fact that in the face of the unfolding human tragedy resulting from irregular migration the sit-and-wait attitude is no longer acceptable. The Summit produced two documents, namely a Political Declaration and an ambitious Action Plan, showing a clear commitment to start addressing priorities. It starts with the Development benefits of migration and addressing root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. The individual actions under this heading are intended to boost socio-economic developments in the countries of origin, so as to prevent situations where people opt for illegal migration in order to find a better future. The provision of educational opportunities would not only contribute to the development of an improved economic climate, but provides also a concrete opportunity for youths to develop personally in their own country, without feeling obliged to migrate. If we succeed in attaining this objective, even if people migrate, they will at least do so legally, as they would have the appropriate skills to do so. I consider that people's aspirations and needs have to be met at home. In this regard, the Action Plan provides that these objectives are met through various measures, such as the setting up of small and medium sized enterprises, boosting the information and communications technology sectors and measures fostering the provision of educational opportunities. Interestingly, the Plan also seeks to reinforce the capacity to fight terrorist threats and to build good governance. These are of course prerequisites towards ensuring that States have accountable governments that operate in accordance with the rule of law and respect for human rights. The second of the five policy areas relates to Legal Migration and Mobility, providing measures intended to encourage legal migration, such as circular migration. In a European setting circular migration benefits sectors requiring seasonal intensive labour, as in agriculture. Moreover, this section also focuses on migration for educational and research purposes. It has been said that 'No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.' The third section of the Action Plan addresses Protection and Asylum, which is illustrative of the need to address migration with dignity. It provides for support to the creation and upholding of asylum systems in Africa, that would remove the need to risk one's life by going through dangerous maritime routes to seek asylum. If Europe wants to end this tragic loss of life it needs to curb migrant smuggling networks. The fourth set of measures relates to the Prevention of and fight against irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking of human beings. Law enforcement initiatives, including intelligence sharing, police and judicial cooperation and other measures are being proposed. Malta assigns particular importance to cooperation in this sphere, as irregular migration needs to be addressed from this perspective as well. Not only do we need to offer a viable alternative to irregular migration, but we should strive to make irregular migration more difficult. This is the only way to avoid placing human life at risk. So long as our migration process is administered by smugglers more human beings will continue to die. We cannot have an open door policy on migration. There are rules and regulations. The Action Plan, in its last section deals with Return, Readmission and Reintegration. The Maltese government welcomes the fact that countries of origin have confirmed agreement with the need to return own nationals who are irregularly present. I firmly believe that if we want to discourage irregular migration we must send a strong message that irregular migration is not a viable option when seeking better economic prospects in Europe. Irregular migrants, given their illegal status, are often victims of exploitation. Therefore the proper implementation of return policy, involving the cooperation of countries of origin and destination, is an essential component of migration policy and the Action Plan emerging from the Valletta Summit. While fully supportive of the principle of voluntary return of irregular migrants, Malta insists that forced return must be a concrete and viable option – in the case of those migrants who do not qualify for asylum or other forms of protection. Naturally, the Summit is not a conclusive exercise, but the continuation of an ongoing process. It is important and vital that the implementation of the Action Plan is achieved without undue delays. Malta will be pursuing the implementation process earnestly, especially during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Action Plan is placing responsibility on the leaders of both Europe and Africa, who must now stand by their commitments in order to put a stop to the tragic effects of irregular migration. Carmelo Abela is minister for home affairs and national security Carmelo Abela From commitments to action Donald Tusk and Joseph Muscat