Schulz says ‘every life counts’ and calls for new approach to migration

European Commission president hopeful Martin Schulz today said Europe is a continent of migration which however lacks a clear migration policy

Addressing a Labour Party campaign event in Paola, the Socialists’ EU Commission presidential candidate Martin Schulz emphasised the need for a new approach to tackle migration in Europe.

Listing five guiding principles, Schulz said that as the European elections approach, “the siren calls are increasing and while some want us to shed crocodile tears and then bury our heads in the sand, hoping the issue will go away, others want to turn back the clock, pull up the drawbridge and renounce our international obligations and our European values.”

Pointing out that he was standing as the sole Socialist candidate, the German MEP said he was proposing a different course, adding that he wants to put “Europe back on its feet.”

“I want us to manage migration as best we can, in line with our values and clear principles to make sure it benefits our societies and our economies,” Schulz said, adding that migrants should be given a chance to find a place in Europe and play a positive part in the bloc’s development.

He said the first guiding principle in dealing with migration should be that of upholding human life and dignity in the knowledge that “every life counts.”

“Every single life lost off our shores, man, woman or child, is a stain on our civilisation,” he said.

“Secondly, I believe that Europe is a continent of immigration, but we are a continent without a migration policy and the sooner we face this fact the better.”

Thirdly, Schulz said, the EU can contribute in a positive way to managing migration. “Fourthly, I believe that we should act together in a spirit of loyalty and solidarity, with a fair sharing of responsibility among all 28 Member States. Moreover, I believe in an orderly, rule-based approach to migration which does everything it can to avoid driving desperate people into the hands of criminals.”

Schulz also said that the time had come for a long-term vision and lasting political commitment to fulfil Europe’s long-term needs in regards to migration.

This he said would ensure that the EU attracts the skills which it needs for its labour market and develop new relationships with third countries based on mutual respect and shared interests.

The political event was also addressed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who recounted how Malta succeeded in quadrupling its economic growth without shouldering taxpayers with extra burdens.

“While other countries are still debating the youth guarantee, we were among the first EU countries to implement it without requiring an aid from the EU institutions,” he said.

Muscat said it was “a conscious decision” to take Schulz “at the heart of the south”, in Poala, to show that Malta wanted an EU country where decisions are not taken in ivory towers.

He added that he wanted Schulz to see with his eyes Malta’s reality.

Muscat, who has supported Schulz’s proposal for a common migration policy, said it was “unbelievable” that the EU had policies on the size of fruits but not about migration.

“We today heard what we have been yearning for years. If Schulz is elected President, we will have a common policy and legal ways for migration. Policies which welcome people among us but which does not mean that everyone will be accepted. A policy that gives protection to those who need it but a burden that will be divided among the 28 member states.”

The Prime Minister said today the citizens had the chance to turn the complaints of a Europe that had abandoned the citizens.

“Schulz can lead to these changes if he is elected President. Now is your chance to change things around. If you stay at home, you will simply be agreeing to a Europe that ignores the migration issue. But if you want a Europe that acts, the choice is to vote for all the Labour candidates, electing Martin Schulz as president of the Commission.”