Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that the immigration problem cannot be solved on a country by country basis. It is a continent to continent problem. “Some major European countries bear a huge responsibility for having destabilised Africa in ways that now are forcing the populations there to seek security and jobs in Europe.We therefore need a continent to continent solution.”

At a public meeting organised in Zejtun, MEP candidate Alfred Sant was interviewed by journalist Antoinette Falzon about the future of the EU. When asked about how irregular immigration should be dealt with, Alfred Sant said that this was an area where the call for “more Europe” made sense. Yet the lobbies which pushed hard for “more Europe” seemed to be unable to secure this in an area where huge problems had arisen, even though it was needed.

The EP Candidate said we also need to insist that countries have to share burdens fairly. The Dublin II, now Dublin III arrangements by which irregular immigrants who do not benefit from the asylum status must stay in the first country where they land, should not be applied to Malta, for obvious reasons.

“Also, the EU needs to get tougher with countries who take it slow when they have to repatriate their nationals who have been refused refugee status. On the other hand, the EU or certainly the bigger countries in the Union, need to develop and launch a policy concerning regular immigration, if they need immigrants to keep their economy running, which they do,” said Sant

Alfred Sant concluded by saying “there is a need for the EU to develop a long term development assistance programme for central Africa in order to launch projects that could trigger economic growth. This would ease the pressure for people there to leave their country and seek jobs elsewhere in order to help their families.”

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