Mediterranean migration coordination and cooperation centre established in Malta

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has opened a coordination and cooperation centre for migration in the Mediterranean in Floriana.

This is the first regional office opened by ICMPD.

The centre was inaugurated by Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella and ICMPD director-general Michael Spindelegger. Present for the signing of the agreement was also Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela.

Vella stated that the opening of the office highlighted Malta’s international credentials on migration, adding that this would build upon the achievements made at the Valletta Summit on Migration in November 2015. This, he added, was also important in the light of a possible reactivation of the Central Mediterranean migration route.

“The active involvement of the ICMPD is important to help deal with one of the most pressing issues facing the European Union today: migration and forced displacement,” Vella said.

ICMPD’s Director-General Michael Spindelegger – also a former vice-chancellor of Austria – said the new office would benefit from the experience and contacts Malta has built over the past years. Spindelegger said that the opening of ICMPD’s first regional office in Malta highlights the organisation’s concerns on migration in the Mediterranean.

“Together with local and international partners, ICMPD will bring a valuable contribution to finding solutions and advancing new policies in the migration field in Europe and beyond,” he said.

ICMPD was founded to serve as a support mechanism for informal consultations and provide expertise and efficient services on migration and asylum issues.

 Apart from being an international organisation, ICMPD also holds observer status at the United Nations and receives funding from its 15 member States, the European Commission, and other international organisations such as the UN.