Carmelo Abela stresses need for permanent relocation mechanism to alleviate migratory pressure

The ongoing revision of rules governing the European Union’s management of migration, notably the Dublin Regulation rules on asylum, could only be effective if they included a permanent relocation mechanism by which to alleviate migratory pressures on member states, according to Carmelo Abela, Minister for Home Affairs and National Security.

Abela, who was addressing the press before a meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Brussels on Friday, said that migration affected all member states – directly or indirectly – and that more constructive discussion was necessary since the member states did not agree on all the issues.

He also welcomed the fact that the discussion had moved from one on ‘flexible’ solidarity to one on ‘effective’ solidarity.

“Effective solidarity must be for real,” Abela said. “It is clear that a permanent relocation mechanism is the only means of inserting predictability and automaticity into the Dublin Regulation.”

The Minister added that the revision of the Common European Asylum System was only one part of the holistic approach needed to manage migration.

The upcoming Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, which would prioritise the EU’s work on migration, would focus on all aspects of this holistic approach, he said.

Abela thanked the current Slovak Presidency for focusing the meeting’s agenda on security matters, and said Malta would guarantee ample occasions for ministers to discuss important EU initiatives aimed at enhancing internal and external security, including fighting organised crime and terrorism, during its six-month presidency.