Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/993482
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 JUNE 2018 9 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: MATTHEW VELLA ASSISTANT EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 • Fax: (356) 21 385075 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt ON the surface it may appear to be a case of 'All's well that ends well'... but the in- ternational repercussions of the 'Aquari- us' standoff have clearly not been resolved by Spain's decision to take responsibility for the vessel. Though the immediate fate of the 660 rescued migrants has been settled, the many underlying issues this episode has brought to light are unlikely to go away any time soon. Migration, in general, is, of course, a highly complex issue, and this incident is no exception. On an immediate level, we are looking at an apparent failure of some of the most basic, archaic of international laws – the principle of saving lives at sea, no matter what – to actually function when called upon. Without entering into the arguments regarding who was most responsible for the implementation of that principle, in this particular circum- stance... the fact remains that almost 700 people were left stranded at sea for five days, as countries argued in the back- ground over legal and political niceties. Given the geo-political reality of the situation, the arguments themselves are neither irrelevant nor frivolous. Indeed, it is part of the tragedy of the entire migra- tion situation, that the countries most exposed to the influx have been largely left to their own devices to cope with it. This, in substance, is Italy PM Salvini's point in a nutshell. As he himself put it, "The Italian military has been solely responsible for patrolling the central Mediterranean to rescue people and this cannot continue." But while the frustration may be under- standable, the reaction cannot be justified so easily. Italy's refusal to allow Aquarius into its own ports – despite the closer proximity than any other country – is not merely a dereliction of international legal obligations in such circumstances; it is al- so a political strategy in its own right. This incident was arguably the first – though it certainly won't be the last – opportunity for a new government to illustrate its new migration policies in action. As such, the Italian government is responding to the demands of its own electorate for a tougher stand, on an issue where Italy feels abandoned by the rest of Europe. There is far more than just a hint of populism in Italy's entire handling of this situation. It also sent a clear message that could not be ignored. Italy's decision put Malta in the awkward position of being legally in the right, but – from an international media perspective – on morally shaky ground. Malta arguably did well to stand firm in refusing entry to the vessel; to do otherwise would have created a danger- ous precedent, especially with the Italian government already showing that it is ready to break international law. Unfortunately, Malta's position still resulted in a mounting – though merci- fully brief – humanitarian crisis on our own doorstep. It is all well and good to blame Italy for breaking international law – which it did, on numerous counts: first by ignoring the fact that Lampedusa was the closest, safest port of call to the loca- tion of the rescue; and then by illegally ordering the ship to stop in its tracks in international waters, in breach of interna- tional maritime law. But there is a danger in standing up to the bullying tactics of Italy's government: it is a stand that will likewise go down well with local populist elements... but not, however, with international observers, who do not see 'populism' only in Italy. So even if Malta's actions were understand- able and/or justifiable... it is cold com- fort, given that the underlying political/ legal problem remains very emphatically unresolved. Relying on the benevolence of third countries to intervene – as hap- pened in this case – is only a stop-gap measure. In a repeat scenario, the same dilemma will unfold again. The Aquarius impasse therefore also illustrated that the rest of Europe cannot afford to indefinitely ignore the problem. Spain's action stood out more as an ex- ception, than as a rule. Sadly, it is undeni- able that, though migration is a European issue, other member states have so far failed to play ball: among other things, on migrant relocation quotas. In this, Malta and Ireland are the only exceptions, hav- ing fulfilled the quotas agreed at EU level. Elsewhere, while all parties seem to agree that a long-term solution is needed, there has been no apparent progress on any reforms of the Dublin II Treaty, among other matters that require atten- tion. The irony is that when Salvini calls for a European solution to migration, his best friends in the bloc are the very same countries that are refusing the quota sys- tem, such as Hungary's Viktor Orban. One solution that has been muted for years is the creation of UN-EU-run recep- tion centres in Libya to stop the danger- ous sea crossings, and the creation of legal channels of migration. The plan sounds appealing on paper; but it does not ad- dress the issue of where those received at the reception centres will eventually be sent in Europe; or whether the European countries will comply. That only takes us back to square one. Unless the EU adopts a uniform migra- tion policy, acceptable to all members, we will continue to see populists gain- ing ground, and more incidents like the Aquarius. Mikiel Galea A stop-gap measure, not a solution