Malta

France offers asylum to 100 refugees staying in Malta

Article published on the 2009-06-26 Latest update 2009-06-26 15:55 TU

French Immigration Minister Eric Besson
(Photo: AFP)

As a result of a pilot program instated by the European Union, France said on Friday it will offer asylum to refugees who have reached Malta.

France announced on Friday that it will offer asylum to 100 migrants from Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

The decision was "a humanitarian act" which should set an example for other European nations, according to Maltese Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici. 

At the Brussels summit, European leaders created a pilot programme to give humanitarian aid to asylum seekers who reach Malta via boat. France is the first country to participate in the programme.

French Immigration Minister Eric Besson said at a ceremony at the French Embassy in Valletta that Paris had offered to assist Malta, from which migrants routinely depart for mainland Europe. He said that the programme gives refugees "a chance to plan for [their] future in Europe."

Nonetheless, Besson stressed that he expected the refugees to abide by French secular traditions. He stated that children "would not be allowed to wear the head scarf in schools."