Politics

65 million people are refugees

During 2015 a total of 244 million people migrated and their numbers are increasing. Most people migrate in a legal way and under organised conditions, but for some, the decision to move is not voluntary but a result of having to flee wars or persecution. Today upwards of 65 million people in the world are refugees, approximately 40 million of them are internal refugees within their own homelands, whilst more than 20 million are present in other countries, most of them in poor countries close to the conflicts that have caused them to flee.

The EU has a regulatory framework for the migration and asylum policies of the member states, both when it comes to labour migration and other types or regular migration and with regards to asylum and refugees. I have had the privilege to work with several of these laws during my time in the European Parliament.

To me it’s important that the EU has a common, humane, well organised and fair system for the reception of refugees and asylum seekers.

We can’t receive everyone in the world that is on the run, but just as with other parts of the world the EU has to do its part.

We need the smartest researchers and the most driven entrepreneurs

The EU must also have common rules that make it possible for people from countries outside of the EU to study, research and work in the European Union, so that they can get here in a simple and good way. Our economies are already dependent on being able to attract the smartest researchers and the most driven entrepreneurs, so it is vital that they can move to the EU without too much bureaucracy and hassle.