Brussel geeft Spanje, Italië en Malta geld voor maatregelen tegen illegale immigratie uit Afrika

The European Commission has pledged €3.28 million to Spain, Italy and Malta to help in their efforts to stop the flow of illegal immigrants arriving from Africa, and called on other national governments to do more to help.

"I would like to see the member states be more involved in the pooling of resources for the [EU border control] agency," EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini i said in a statement.

"EU solidarity must also be one aspect of a frank discussion on European immigration policy, which the commission is actively seeking to define," Mr Frattini added.

The funds are earmarked for six projects in the three countries aimed at improving reception structures and living conditions for the illegal immigrants arriving to the Canary Islands, Lampedusa and Malta.

Money will also go towards continuing surveillance at sea around the Canary Islands and Malta to prevent illegal immigration from the African continent, according to the commission.

The projects are set to last for four months.

EU governments disagree on how to handle immigration

The commission, and Spain particularly, have long called for more solidarity from the rest of the union saying that the problem of illegal immigrants arriving on the EU's southern borders is a European problem.

But some EU member states have been slow to act, tired of seeing countries like Spain and Italy giving amnesty to illegal immigrants and then asking other governments to help curb the subsequent waves of illegal immigration.

"Potential illegal immigrants watch European television and read newspapers. If they think that legalisation is forthcoming [an amnesty], then they will arrive in big numbers. We have seen this in Spain and Italy this summer," Mr Frattini told Danish newspaper Politiken last week.

Immigration issues will feature high on the agenda of EU justice ministers who are meeting in Finland over the next three days (20 -22 September).

Finland - the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency - will present an initiative to increase European solidarity on immigration, border-control and asylum policies.