JRS Malta reaches out to candidates ahead of EP elections

Ahead of the European Parliament elections which were held in Malta on 8 June 2024, JRS Malta reached out to all candidates who put their names forward for the race. Whilst a few candidates could not be reached*, we sent out a letter by email which outlined JRS Malta’s advocacy priorities.   

We decided to do this because, in light of the political changes across Europe and the legislative and policy changes to come in the next few years in relation to the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, we wanted to highlight the areas where we feel that the system is failing asylum seekers and refugees, as well as those in a more precarious legal situation including undocumented people.  

Whilst these are issues that affect people in Malta, they are also applicable at a European level, where much of the law and policy that affects us originates. We wanted to reach out to all candidates because, despite the fact that we know some candidates might not share our priorities in relation to asylum seeking and migration, we remain open to dialogue and hearing other perspectives.  

The letter we sent to the candidates highlighted 4 broad areas:  

• detention (lamenting lack of access to the centres for NGOs, and the detention of vulnerable people),  

• uncertainty for people with a protection status (noting an ageing population with limited support systems, and people with additional vulnerabilities struggling to access services),  

• unaccompanied minors (children who not only receive inadequate care and support but also need legal protection and documentation),   

• the human rights of rejected asylum seekers (who are often left undocumented, vulnerable to exploitation and without access to vital support and services).  

The letter invited candidates to meet with us and discuss these concerns. The letter was sent to a total of 39 election candidates. Only 6 replied. 

ADPD candidate Mina Jack Tolu was the only one who actually managed to meet us during the election period. On 27 May, a productive meeting was held with Mina Jack. Ralph Cassar was due to join us but was unfortunately unavailable. We discussed their party’s policies at European level, particularly in light of the EU Pact. With regard to Malta, we discussed the ways in which the government’s relationship with civil society is challenging and how this can lead to a lack of transparency and accountability. It was acknowledged that whilst the party is not so successful at local level, their elected MEPs and board members closely follow what is happening in the Central Mediterranean and would like to remain in touch to better understand what is happening on the ground.  

Volt candidate Matthias Portelli had also responded positively to our invitation to meet. We did not manage to meet during the campaign period, but we met on 15 July. The work of JRS was introduced and we spoke about the NGO sector in Malta, and limitations when it comes to funding, as well as relationships with the government. We also spoke about sustaining our relationship in order to share what we see in our service provision and in visits to detention and open centres and keeping communication channels open with Volt’s elected MEPs and those who set the policy agenda. We also discussed the EU Pact and our shared concerns about its implementation, especially in Malta.  

Newly elected PL MEP, Thomas Bajada, sent an acknowledgment to our letter. PN candidate, Lee Bugeja Bartolo, responded and expressed a willingness to meet, but in the end, this was not possible due to conflicting schedules.  

Independent candidate, Arnold Cassola, replied to acknowledge our letter, and stated that he endorsed the points outlined and expressed support for our work.  

Imperium Europa candidate Norman Lowell responded promptly to our letter, only to hand us a quick offensive remark.  

Whilst we were disappointed that we did not receive more responses, we were pleased to engage with candidates and share more about the work of JRS Malta. The invitation to meet with us always remains open to political actors, at national and local level, and to anyone who wishes to dialogue with us about our work and the issues of concern for the people we accompany and serve. 

*We were unable to reach the following independent candidates: Radu Ggeorghe, Edwin Vassallo, Noel Apap, Malcolm Bezzina, Nazzareno Bonnici, Alexander D’Agata, Stephen Florian, Adrian Zammit, George Grixti. This was because email addresses could not be found, or the addresses listed online were not correct. We were also unable to send messages to them on social media as an organisation.