It’s about more than numbers

Joseph Muscat's visit to Rome on Monday could mark the beginning of a new Mediterranean axis within the EU, with his Italian counterpart pledging to involve Malta in discussions between Italy and Greece, both of which will hold the EU presidency next year.

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta's declarations that Malta is a 'natural partner' and that the EU needs a stronger Mediterranean dimension is a step in the right direction in addressing the migration issue at a European level.

Both Muscat and Letta agreed that Europe must do more on migration, and the two leaders also see Libya as an integral part of the solution.

Libya's role in the solution is undeniable, with United Nations reports showing that thousands upon thousands of sub-Saharan asylum seekers pour into Libya every year despite 'a fragile protection environment' there.

Muscat and Letta were right in highlighting the willingness of Libya's new leaders to collaborate with Europe, however even if Libya were to sign and abide by all international obligations and treaties, the situation would not change overnight.

Training 5,000 Libyan soldiers could go a long way to helping the country patrol its 4,348-kilometre land borders and 1,770-kilometre coastline, the longest of all the North African countries bordering the Mediterranean.

Yet Libya is still coming to terms with democracy, and in a country where armed militias still roam around freely, stability will not come easily or rapidly.

However, Muscat's comments during a press conference held before his meeting with Letta at the Foreign Press Club in Rome were far more remarkable.

In a quasi-infantile manner, Muscat claimed repeatedly that his plans to send 45 Somali migrants back to Libya hours after they had reached Malta by sea were nothing but an attempt "to stamp our feet".

People should never be used as pawns to draw attention to a problem, however grave it is; and considering illegal pushbacks as a 'legitimate option' could damage our international reputation beyond repair.

Luckily, these plans were thwarted by the European Court of Human Rights, which declared such a pushback illegal.

However, Muscat spoke incessantly about numbers.

Addressing foreign journalists, Muscat said that the number of migrants which had reached Malta recently was "unsustainable".

Insisting that Malta cannot cope, Muscat hinted at capping the number of migrants Malta can accept, echoing his proposal in 2009.

In Rome, Muscat stopped short of explaining what numbers would be 'feasible', saying he would not enter into a Tory-style quota system.

In the UK, controversially, David Cameron's coalition capped the number of persons allowed to work or study in the UK from outside the EU.

However this did not affect migrants entering Britain irregularly.

Speaking about unsustainable numbers means automatically that the government has a limit in mind; Muscat should come clean, therefore, and say what he thinks is sustainable.

Not quantifying this limit could pave the way for Muscat to come up with a figure at his convenience, in itself a dangerous game, apart from how it heightens people's expectations.

During these periods, the issue of migration dominated the headlines for a short while and a few worrying episodes of racist attacks took place. However there was no state of emergency, and the country's economic, political and cultural life went ahead unperturbed.

Admittedly, Malta's capacity is limited, but the root of the problem lies in the country's detention policy, such that migrants are imprisoned for up to 18 months.

Muscat's hard-line stance has fanned racist and xenophobe sentiments to unprecedented levels.

Talking and playing hard could possibly translate into greater solidarity at the European level, although this will probably happen at a lower and slower rate than desired.

But hard talk will not fight racism and encourage integration.

This will only be possible once the country embarks on a genuine integration policy, which will see migrants of every race, colour and creed participate in the country's cultural, political and economic life.