Dr. Alfred Sant told Heads of Delegations of the S&D and representatives of EU national parliaments that the European Union must be more sensitive to its member states that are receiving thousands of refugees and are already overstretched with the migration crisis.
The meeting was attended by Martin Schultz, President of the European Parliament and Gianni Pittella, President of the S&D and discussed the need to shape a common stance towards a unified and coherent EU migration policy.
Dr. Sant said that the EU must understand that its citizens are scared of the humanitarian crisis caused by the influx of thousands of immigrants crossing into Europe.
“European citizens need to be reassured that immigration policies are being conceived and implemented in full awareness of their need for security and reassurance in their personal lives and future. That is why a general and financial plan at European level over the long term, to back all the statements about values that we’ve been hearing, needs to be spelt out and explained to the people.”
Dr. Sant said that Europe needs a long term plan which takes into account the social, economic and humanitarian realms, especially of those countries which are being directly affected by this ongoing crisis.
“There needs to be a business plan that not only takes into account the short term, but also for the next 3-5 years. We need to extend lines of support to these refugees but at the same time we need to convince our people that the situation is manageable, that we need a plan of action. The EU must understand that our citizens are scared of this ongoing crisis,” emphasised Dr. Sant.
The meeting was also attended by Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg.
Photo: Alfred Sant introduces Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg to Martin Schultz, President of the European Parliament.