EU migration pact will strengthen support for Malta, MEPs say

The EU’s new migration pact is expected to strengthen support for frontline countries such as Malta, where 29% of people rank immigration among the country’s two main concerns, Maltese MEPs said.

“The Pact on Migration and Asylum is the EU’s response to a long-standing security challenge and will give Malta the help we have been asking for for years,” said MEP David Casa. “While it is not a miracle solution to a complex issue, it is an effective and fair way to improve the asylum system in Europe and to make our borders more secure."

In a statement issued on Friday, MEP Alex Agius Saliba described the pact as a “significant step” towards a more structured EU migration system, saying it would offer Malta greater clarity, stronger solidarity mechanisms and recognition of the realities faced by frontline member states.

This follows the implementation of Europe’s new Migration and Asylum Pact on 12 June, bringing into force a major overhaul of the bloc’s asylum system by introducing faster asylum decisions, mandatory solidarity between member states, and controversial return hubs.

However, Agius Saliba said the pact’s success would depend on credible implementation, particularly on returns, if Malta is to achieve a tangible and sustainable reduction in irregular migration.

Returns have long been a persistent problem for the EU, with only around 20% of rejected asylum seekers successfully repatriated.

First adopted in 2024, the pact comprises 10 legislative texts forming a comprehensive reform of the EU’s migration and asylum rules, with member states given two years to implement them.

The statement explained that the legislation introduced the concept of a safe third country and the list of safe countries of origin with the aim of speeding up the asylum application process.

Work will continue in Strasbourg next week, with the European Parliament set to debate the agreement on Tuesday and vote on it on Wednesday. 

The European Parliament will also monitor how the new migration rules are applied through a cross-party group of MEPs, which will continue its work after the rules take effect in June and July.

Security Minister Glenn Bedingfield calls for investment in migration’s root causes

Security Minister Glenn Bedingfield called for greater investment in countries of origin to address the root causes of migration, including poverty, climate change and limited economic opportunities.

He said the strongest migration policy was not built solely on stronger borders, but on creating stronger opportunities. Investment in education, agriculture, access to clean water and economic development, he argued, would contribute to long-term stability and shared security.

Bedingfield attended the Informal Ministerial Conference on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Cyprus (Photo: MHS)

Bedingfield also highlighted the increasingly complex factors shaping migration, including geopolitical instability, shifting migratory routes and organised smuggling networks. He said the pact’s measures must be supported by more proactive migration management, stronger EU external action, effective returns and decisive action against smuggling networks.

While welcoming the pact, Bedingfield said its success would ultimately depend on effective implementation and a fair sharing of responsibility among member states.

Bedingfield was speaking at the Informal Ministerial Conference on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Cyprus on 12 June, held to mark the pact’s entry into application.