Malta is ready to accept its share of the 40,000 asylum seekers that are set to be relocated from Italy and Greece as part of measures adopted by the European Commission today, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said.

If the Commission's proposals are approved by member states, Malta would receive 292 Eritrean and Syrian asylum seekers from Italy and Greece over the next two years.

Asked whether he feared that this would create a political backlash, Mr Abela said that he did not believe that this development would cause a problem, stating that Malta should easily be able to handle the arrival of 146 people a year, particularly when one considers the situation in past years.

The minister also said that since Malta has long insisted that there should be solidarity on the issue of migration and that every EU member state should assume their share of responsibility, and that the time had come for it to practice what it preached now that it was expected to assume a degree of responsibility itself.

He pointed out that ultimately, Malta has been assuming responsibility on immigration for many years, and also added that the country would not be seen as credible if it did not.

In what he described as an initial reaction to the proposals adopted today, Mr Abela said that these were a step in the right direction, stating that the Commission was moving from speeches and slogans to concrete action.

The minister said that the effect of the Maltese government's policies on immigration was starting to be felt, giving particular credit to Malta's collaboration with Italy on the issue.

The Commission's proposals also suggest the resettlement of 20,000 asylum seekers from outside of the EU: Malta's share would be 121 people.

But Mr Abela noted that as things stand, it was not clear whether the proposed resettlement would be voluntary or obligatory, and as a result, Malta would not yet commit itself in any way on the issue.

The proposals would have to be approved by a qualified majority of member states, and Mr Abela said that it appeared to him that the proposals were likely to enjoy enough support to go through.