The Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Byron Camilleri, met with Jim O’Callaghan, Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Migration was at the centre of the discussion between the two Ministers, with Minister Camilleri highlighting the success registered by Malta in recent years in addressing the challenges linked to irregular migration and the decrease of crime rate in Malta.

 

Minister Camilleri highlighted how efforts in irregular migration have resulted in a 93% decrease in the number of irregular arrivals in the last five years. Minister Camilleri explained how Malta implements a just system, and increased the rate of return of those who do not qualify for asylum. This led to one of the highest rate of return in Europe compared to irregular arrivals to 83.2% in 2023 and 68% in 2024.

 

Minister O’Callaghan highlighted the realities faced by Ireland with regards to irregular migration. The Ministers discussed the importance of returns of those who do not qualify for asylum, and agreed to collaborate on this matter in the European sphere. 

 

The two Ministers also discussed police-related matters. Minister Camilleri noted that the annual report, Crime Malta Observatory 2024, has confirmed that Malta remains a safe and stable place, with a rate of 30 crimes committed for every 1000 person. This represents a decrease when compared with 2023 and a substantial decrease from 46 cases for every 1000 person in 2004. Minister O’Callaghan remarked that Ireland also has a relatively low crime rate, and explained what led to this success. The Ministers also discussed the use of electronic tagging and AI tools to assist police investigations, including body cams and facial recognition.

 

Minister Camilleri also met with Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex. During the meeting, the Minister highlighted the important role of Frontex in the protection of the EU’s external borders and thanked the Agency for the continued support it provides to Malta. Hans Leijtens noted that Frontex stands ready to continue supporting Member States in line with its mandate, including in the important area of returns, a key pillar of a robust, credible, and efficient migration system. The two also discussed the new Common European System for Returns and the Proposal for a Return Regulation launched by the Commission. The Minister noted that preliminary indications suggest this is a step in the right direction, as the proposed changes are mostly in line with what Malta has been calling for.