Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

from Libya. It also reaffirmed its commitment to serve as
a humanitarian base for refugees and treat those injured
in the conflict. 20 On 1 April, however, the request was rejected
by the EU Home Affairs Commissioner, Cecilia
Malmström, who stated that Malta was not yet in “an
emergency situation,” so such protection was not necessary.
21
- While the EU refused to allow the activation of the ‘solidarity
mechanism’ which would have forced Member
States to assist with the management of the illegal migrants
flowing into Malta, on 13 April 2011, it did create a
“pilot project” with similar provisions. The difference was
that the pilot project would be entirely voluntary. 22 On 12
May 2011, 12 Member States, in addition to 3 nonmembers,
agreed to resettle 323 refugees who arrived in
Malta as part of this resettlement initiative. The Maltese
government saw this as a positive development, though it
was noted that there was still room for improvement,
given the nearly 2700 refugees that had entered the country.
23 A 3 June 2011 EU report confirmed the unenthusiastic
mood amongst Member States towards Malta’s appeal
for burden-sharing, despite the “talk of solidarity,” as
only 10 other Member States committed to this resettlement
initiative. 24
- On 28 November 2011, Interim Libyan PM Abdurrahim el
Keib and Prime Minister Gonzi agreed to cooperate regarding
the influx of Libyan migrants into Malta. 25
- On 3 December 2011, Malmström announced a tentative
plan to “force” Member States to “show solidarity” with
those burdened with illegal immigration (i.e. Malta) because
such solidarity had been “lower than expected.”
The voluntary pilot project currently in place would be
replaced by a permanent relocation scheme to encourage
the full participation of all EU Member States. 26
2011 IN REVIEW:
Despite their diminutive stature in terms of economy
and geography, Malta still has a distinct role in the EU.
Two main trends dominated popular discourse regarding
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