Muscat: Migration plan addressing people's concerns

Safi residents were at the back of government’s mind when Malta pushed for an EU agreement to tackle migration from Libya, the Prime Minister said this morning. Joseph Muscat  used his presence in Safi for a political conference to draw a direct link between the Libya-specific plan agreed at the Malta Summit last Friday and the concerns of ordinary citizens on migration. “I understand when people from Safi call me worried about migrants in their locality. These are not racist families; they are good at heart but who believe migrants can be offered help of the numbers are controlled,” Dr Muscat said. Of course, it was not just the 3,000 or so residents of Safi that Dr Muscat was speaking about but the wider concerns expressed by many on the impact of migration. Describing Friday’s EU leaders’ declaration as an achievement, he insisted Malta’s job at the helm of the EU presidency was to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people. “We were told Libya has no solid government… but this is not an excuse to leave things as they are. The agreement is not perfect but we showed that we understand the reality of people,” he said. Dr Muscat said the agreement between Italy and...