Migrant wall will not stop problem, Joseph Muscat says
No wall can stop the migration phenomenon, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning as he called this “an ugly period” for Europe.
He was alluding to the four-metre-high fence erected by Hungary along its border with Serbia in a bid to stop thousands of migrants entering the country.
Dr Muscat was speaking at the Labour Party club in Sliema ahead of a crunch EU emergency summit this week that will address the issue of migration.
Hungary has taken a hard line stand and on Tuesday new laws are expected to come into force that will allow police to arrest migrants who enter the country illegally.
“No country on its own can solve this problem. No wall will stop this phenomenon but it will simply lead to a shift in migration flows,” Dr Muscat said.
Describing the current situation as an “ugly period” for Europe, Dr Muscat said the EU was weak in dealing with the migration phenomenon.
“Europe needs a new system to deal with this historical phenomenon and there are no short term solutions,” he said.
Dr Muscat stressed that a free-for-all was not acceptable but migrants in need of protection had to be given refuge.
He said Malta would do its fair share and under current proposals...