MEPs to visit detention centres in Malta
ALEANDER BALZAN
17.03.2006 @ 15:49 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A European Parliament delegation will visit Malta next week to examine the conditions in which immigrants are being detained on the island.
Some 19 members of the parliament’s civil liberties and justice committee will head to Malta on 23 and 24 March, led by the vice-president of the committee, Stefano Zappala.
The MEPs are expected to visit the two detention centres sheltering immigrants and will also meet government ministers and NGOs.
"We are happy that a delegation from the European Parliament is coming to visit detention centres in Malta, because there is a need for more transparency. For example we don't agree with the decision that the press cannot go in the detention centres", said Fr Paul Pace, Assistant Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Malta.
Last year around 1,800 illegal immigrants landed in Malta, the majority of them having left from Libya.
"Libya lacks organisation and strategy to deal with immigration problems. We need to see it as a common problem for the EU" said Maltese MEP Simon Busutill.
Since 1998, about 6,049 immigrants have landed in Malta - which is 1.5% of the whole population - of just over 400,000 - in Malta.
This visit comes two weeks after leftist MEPs launched a campaign to close down all detention centres for illegal immigrants around Europe.
MEP Giusto Catania, who is part of this campaign and also part of the delegation visiting Malta, described detention centres as a legal dishonour.
Currently, more than 1,100 immigrants are being detained in Malta.
Human rights groups have criticised the poor conditions in the centres, whose detainees have little access to information or medical care.
At the moment, several detainees are living in tents as the Maltese authorities are finding it difficult to accommodate all immigrants on the island.
MEPs are also likely to raise the issue of the length of detention for people in the camps.
"Unfortunately there are also detentions which exceed 18 months, something which is unacceptable." said Fr Pace.