Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/748968
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2016 News Avramopoulos insists EU-Turkey deal on migration 'works' YANNICK PACE EUROPEAN Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramo- poulos has defended the Eu- ropean Union's migration deal with Turkey, arguing that it "has worked ". Despite the worsening human rights conditions for Turkish citizens, the European Union engaged in talks with Turkey, who agreed to stop illegal mi- grants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid for the asylum seekers, the promise of visa-free travel for Turks to much of the EU and accelerated EU membership talks. Turkey has now also detained leaders of the country's main pro-Kurdish opposition party and has arrested a number of journalists and members of the judiciary since the failed coup. Questioned by MaltaToday, Avramopoulos said that the deal with Turkey has ultimately achieved results. "We want to see results. The EU-Turkey deal works and we have very positive results, with numbers having subsided signif- icantly. We do wish for Turkey to move ahead and come back to full normality, however it is sur- rounded by many problems and threats," the Commissioner said. He added that given the com- plex and volatile situation in that part of the world, it was impor- tant for there a stable, demo- cratic Turkey working closely with the EU. The Commissioner pointed out that Turkey has met 65 of the 74 benchmarks set out by the EU and that this showed a desire to collaborate and work more closely with Europe. Avramopoulos made these re- marks during a press conference with Malta's Home Affairs Min- ister, Carmelo Abela. He is the latest European Com- missioner to visit Malta as the island prepares to host the rotat- ing Presidency of the EU Coun- cil in January 2017. Migration and security in the Mediterranean will feature high on Malta's agenda. "The presidency will be one of the most crucial presidencies in the last 40 years," he said, adding that the European Commission was determined to do all it can to help Malta reach goals set out for this period. On migration, Avramopoulos said that Malta was up to task. He congratulated the staff work- ing at the European Asylum Support Office in Malta and ex- pressed optimism on broaden- ing its scope and turning it into a fully-f ledged European asylum agency. On his part, Carmelo Abela said tackling migration was im- portant: despite the fact that the EU-Turkey deal seemed to be working, more still needed to be done. He said that there had been over 4,200 deaths in the Medi- terranean so far this year, a number greater than the totals registered in both 2014 and 2015. "This year has once again seen a record number of deaths of mi- grants leaving Libya for Europe and that this will be a priority area for the Maltese Presidency," the minister said Moreover, he said that the Mal- tese presidency will seek to push forward a common European asylum policy in addition to re- forming the Dublin regulation – the EU law that determines which member state is respon- sible for examining applications by people seeking asylum. The also said that more needed to be done to ensure solidarity by different member states on migration, adding that for soli- darity to be effective it cannot be a 'pick and choose' policy. Earlier in the day, Avramopou- los met with opposition leader Simon Busuttil where Busuttil spoke about migration and the problem of organised crime. Busuttil said that migration is a topic that is of great impor- tance to the Maltese population and expressed his hope that the Maltese presidency can push the European council closer to an agreement on dossiers related to immigration and asylum. He said that there needs to be a solidarity mechanism in place which is effective, adding that the Dublin regulations which are currently in place, put a dis- proportionate responsibility on countries like Malta. Busuttil also spoke about or- ganised crime and corruption and said that while the Panama Papers will be the subject of an inquiry by the European Parlia- ment, it would be beneficial for Europe if the European Com- mission were to show a greater sense of leadership on the issue. Car blown up in Paceville in suspected arson attack, eyewitnesses report getaway car A car burst into f lames Mon- day evening in Paceville in what residents believed to be an act of arson, according to eyewit- nesses who spoke to The Times of Malta. A man was seen throwing an item with inf lammable liquid through the window of a car of a resident who lives in St George's Park at around 10:00pm. Police confirmed that the car was a Honda Jazz situated in a parking area on Dragonara Road, and that no other car was damaged in the incident. A resident, who spoke on con- dition of anonymity, said he chased after the man who f led in a getaway car driven by another man, who left hurling abuse at the witness. "I saw him rolling something inf lammable in what looked like a jacket and hurled it through a car window. I shouted at the man and started chasing after him but he f led," the witness said. Several other residents, who were returning back home after a public consultation meeting over the controversial Paceville master plan, witnessed the ar- son. Members of the Civil Protec- tion Department had managed to control the f lames. A magisterial inquiry was launched by magistrate Aaron Bugeja. European Commissioner Dimitris Avrampoulos and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela