Malta Fears Influx of Migrants Following Italy’s Far Right Election Victory

In this regard, the Interior Minister of Malta expressed concerns that the number of migrants, as well as refugees reaching this country, could mark a notable increase in the near future, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.

In addition, the government of Malta also said that it is worried that the new Italian government could lead to a sharp increase in the number of migrants and refugees in the Republic of Malta.

“Italy will probably start experimenting with a political change on this important issue from the beginning of the new legislature,” the Maltese Interior Minister Byron Camilleri told the Times of Malta regarding the issue following the results of the national election in Italy.

Minister Camilleri added that both countries experience the same challenges in the Central Mediterranean, stressing that it is impossible to deal with all these challenges if both countries’ authorities do not work together.

The Minister stressed that the common efforts must also be carried out as part of Malta’s adhesion to the EU, as well as in Malta’s relations with neighboring countries such as Libya and Tunisia.

Malta is already receiving a large number of migrants who attempt to remain in this country unlawfully.

A report by the Independent showed that over the past weeks alone, the Malta Police Force arrested more than 208 people who were illegally living in this country illegally.

Such numbers provided by the government revealed that of the total, 184 were deported from the country, while the government stressed that flights were coordinated in this regard.

The 208 people arrested by authorities in Malta came from various Asian, African, Eastern European, and South American countries, according to the government’s announcement.

The issue of migrants attempting to reach European countries in an illegal way is among the main problems of many European countries.

Recently, the figures provided by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, revealed that the number of irregular immigrants registered at the external borders of the EU from the beginning of 2022 until August was the highest ever since 2016.

“The Western Balkan route continues to be the most active migratory route into the EU with 15,900 detections in August, 141 per cent more than last year. The high number of illegal border crossings can be attributed to repeated crossing attempts by migrants already present in the Western Balkans,” a press release issued by Frontex pointed out.

However, authorities in EU countries are continuously working in order to find effective solutions in this regard.

In addition, the Commission of the EU welcomed the political agreement reached between the co-legislators on a Joint Roadmap on the Common European Asylum System as well as the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.