[WATCH] Busuttil 'ready to agree' with Schengen suspension if government proves there’s a risk

Opposition leader says ‘threat to country is not within Schengen but through the issuance of visas’ as he defends Schengen remarks

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil says government giving 'conflicting messages' (Photo by Ray Attard)
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil says government giving 'conflicting messages' (Photo by Ray Attard)
Busuttil 'ready to agree' with Schengen suspension if there’s a risk

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil is “ready to agree” with a temporary suspension of Schengen if government “explains why this is necessary”.

Due to the Valletta Summit held earlier this month and the Commonwealth heads of government meeting being held this week in Malta, the government had ordered the temporary suspension of the Schengen agreement.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Sunday announced the government was extending the suspension and would continue with border controls imposed on passengers departing from and arriving in Malta via both the airport and the Valletta passenger terminal.

The decision was taken following the terror attacks in Paris and the subsequent warnings in other EU member states. The increased passport checks in both Italy and Malta had led to the arrest of at least seven Syrians and Somalis who attempted to reach Malta from Italy, using fake passports posing as EU citizens.

The government has reassured that these people – from the analysis of authorities – were unrelated to terrorism.

“Their abuse is related to false documentation for the provision of international protection and work permits,” the government has said.

A total of 30 people were said to have entered Malta from the start of the year, who are now being traced down by the authorities, together with collaborators.

On Saturday, the Opposition leader tweeted that he did not believe that those who entered the country using false documents did so to seek work and asylum.

Then, on Sunday, he voiced his disagreement with the indefinite suspension of Schengen.

Muscat said the suspension of the Schengen agreement would remain in place until the EU decides on new measures. During an emergency meeting in Brussels a week after the Paris attacks, EU interior ministers said all EU citizens entering or leaving the free-travel area should undergo “systematic” screening against pan-European databases.

“I want our country to have serious security and that is why I agreed with the suspension of Schengen during the summits. The government is now saying that there are no threats and yet it wants Schengen to be suspended indefinitely. Why? We want the government to be clear. We are ready to agree, but increased security comes at a price: our freedom. If there are no risks, why suspend it indefinitely?” Busuttil asked.

He denied that the arrest of the individuals with false passports was possible following the suspension of the Schengen agreement, claiming that the government “never confirmed it”.

“If you think we can control threats to our security by increasing controls, you’re wrong. You need the sharing of intelligence.”

When asked about the growing concerns following the attacks in Paris, Busuttil replied that it didn’t appear that Malta had the same problems Paris does.

The Opposition leader insisted that the “real threat” was the issuance of 7,000 visas to Algerian nationals. He said the government was “misplacing” its attention on Schengen when it should be worrying about visas.

In a reaction, the Labour Party accused Busuttil of being “irresponsible” for stating that “no controls were needed as there were no threats”. It added, that Busuttil’s position stemmed from his decision to always come out against the government, even if this meant contradicting himself.

The PL added that the government was adopting all necessary precautions to ensure that the country’s interests are safeguarded.

During the Valletta Summit, Council President Donald Tusk warned that the EU was in “a race against time to save Schengen”.

“Saving Schengen is a race against time and we are determined to win that race. We must act and implement all decisions taken, including those taken in previous summits,” Tusk had said, recalling an effective external border control system.