The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) published a study titled “Malta-EU relations in times of crisis,” in which it said that Valletta is looking for political partners outside Europe and that what EU decision-makers care about most does not overlap with the priorities in Malta.
The ECFR said Malta receives the vast majority of its irregular migrants along the Central Mediterranean route through Libya.
“This is not true of the EU more broadly, for which Libya ranks as one of its lowest priorities, despite the civil war in that country and the exodus of migrants and refugees,” the ECFR said.
“EU policy supports the externalisation of the border through financing and enhancing the operational capacity of the Libyan coast guard, but Malta receives functional solidarity on migration, border, and Libya policy primarily from other Mediterranean member states, in particular Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, and France,” the EFCR noted.
Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of people who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe after the insecurity and chaos that followed the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Most of the migrants come from Africa and Bangladesh to seek a better life in Europe. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has revealed that about 584,500 migrants had been identified in Libya.