MaltaMedia.com

On 7/8 June 2012, a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council was held in Luxembourg. On 7 June, Ministers discussed home affairs issues and focused on issues relating to asylum, illegal immigration and Schengen governance. At the request of Malta, the meeting addressed the issue of the recent severe influx of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers reaching the Maltese islands. Minister Chris Said underlined the need for intra-EU solidarity and called on its EU partners to redouble efforts to mitigate the pressure placed on Malta by these events. The Minister also called for EU engagement with Libya in terms of border management capacity building. The European Commission called on Member States to relocate more beneficiaries of international protection and assured Malta that it would work with the Maltese authorities to develop a package of assistance.

Ministers also adopted a general approach on two legislative proposals related to the governance of the Schengen area, one on the establishment of an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to verify the application of the Schengen acquis and the second on proposed amendments to the Schengen Border Code provisions on the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls in exceptional circumstances.

Furthermore, Ministers took note of a stocktaking document prepared by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU on the progress made in the implementation of the measures provided for in the common framework for genuine and practical solidarity towards Member States facing particular pressures due to mixed migration flows. Malta welcomed the fact that the implementation is being monitored as well as the fact that the Commission and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) have begun the evaluation of the Pilot Project for the relocation of beneficiaries of international protection from Malta, noting that it hopes this will be followed up by a permanent relocation scheme.

On 8 June, Ministers discussed justice issues including a general approach on a proposal for a Directive on the right of access to a lawyer and a general approach for a proposed recast of a Regulation on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. The meeting also endorsed the text of the proposal for a Council decision establishing the Multiannual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, which is based in Vienna, for the 2013-2017 period.

Finally, Ministers also adopted a partial general approach on two proposals for regulations establishing the financial programmes in the area of justice and fundamental rights under the Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2014-2020 period. The two programmes are the Justice programme and the Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme.

Malta’s delegation was led by the Hon. Chris Said, Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family. He was accompanied by Malta’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana. Mario Debattista, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Home Affairs also attended the Council.