Migrants relocated to France

A group of migrants have been relocated to France, government announced Wednesday.

The group left Malta on a direct flight to Paris earlier on Wednesday.

The transfer was carried out after all the necessary preparations were carried out by the National Security Ministry, the French embassy in Malta and the International Organisation for Migration.

Preparations included tests to ensure that none of the migrants had COVID-19.

In its statement, government said despite the obstacles brought about by the pandemic in terms of relocation, authorities are doing their utmost to ensure that more relocations are carried out.

Today’s relocation comes off the back of a new European migration pact, which proposes a mixed system of forced solidarity.

While emphasising responsibility and solidarity, the proposed arrangement is unlikely to satisfy either border countries like Malta that demand solidarity from other member states and migrant-sceptic countries like Hungary opposed to relocation mechanisms.

The proposal suggests a system of “flexible contributions” from member states that can range from relocation of asylum seekers from the country of first entry to taking over responsibility for returning individuals with no right to stay, or various forms of operational support.

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