Cynicism is now the hallmark of this government

It emerges from the reply given to a question in parliament that the government used €3 million in EU funding to set up its consulates in Algiers and Shanghai, adding another €1.6 million of Maltese taxpayers’ money and bringing the total cost of setting up these two consulates to €4.6 million.

This was reported in a tiny story in just one of the newspapers and the salient point was not brought out: that the government has used EU funds to set up two consulates, the sole purpose of which is to issue EU/Schengen visas to third country nationals – in this case Algerians, Chinese and North Koreans (this last through Shanghai) – who will then have complete freedom of movement in the European Union.

Yes, the Maltese government used €1.4 million in EU funds, adding another just €400,000 in Maltese taxpayers’ money, to set up a consulate in Algiers which was immediately mobbed by 15,000 Algerians requesting EU/Schengen visas, with visas granted to 7,000 of them over 18 months.

Those 7,000 Algerians then proceeded to catch one of the strategically-started Air Malta flights to Malta, but stayed in transit or one night on the island at most, and then headed right out on the next flight to Paris.

The cynicism is unbelievable: using EU funds to set up offices to flood the European Union with Algerians, Chinese and now even some North Koreans. And what makes it worse is the mounting evidence that many of the Chinese – and definitely all of the North Koreans – are being trafficked for prostitution, indentured labour and sweat-shop work.

Sai Mizzi Liang giving a speech at the opening of the Maltese consulate in Shanghai last July