Education Minister Evarist Bartolo has agreed with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, that refugees should be allowed to begin working as soon as they set foot in Malta, rather than having to wait for their status applications to be approved.
In his State of the Union speech, President Juncker said – “I am strongly in favour of allowing asylum seekers to work and earn their own money whilst their applications are being processed.”
Minister Bartolo, speaking with this newsroom, said: “These are people who should be treated with the utmost dignity and respect. We should make it possible for them to begin working in a dignified manner and have all the rights they are entitled to. This will also prevent them from joining the black economy.”
He continued: “It is not only in their interest, but also in the interest of Maltese and Gozitans who are looking for work and complain that foreigners, by accepting to work for meagre wages through the black economy, results in them losing out on job opportunities.”
European Union statistical predictions show that by 2060, the population of Europe would grow by 3%, from 507 million to 523 million. Statistics for working age citizens however sees a decrease, from 211 million workers in 2013 down by 4.4% to 202 million workers in 2060. This, in addition to the increase in life expectancy by 2060 is worrying leaders due to financial problems this can cause, particularly relating to pensions.
The minister explained that migration is an extremely complex issue. “You have to deal with chauvinism, xenophobia and thoughts that people are heading here to contaminate Europe. Most Europeans forget that their states were once countries of origin for other countries which have seen success through becoming a melting pot of different nationalities and cultures”. He said that such countries include the USA, Canada and the UK.
“Now I’m not saying this is something painless, and would simply mean sitting down calmly and discussing the situation through a liberal mind-set – no, it doesn’t happen smoothly. We know that countries like the UK and Australia have to deal with those from the right-wing mentality,” he said. Mr Bartolo continued: “It is definitely in Europe’s interest to develop an enlightened immigration policy that balances the dignity of those fleeing their countries with the receiving country’s interests.”
He said: “Germany for example, opened its gates not simply out of kindness. Germany is facing a huge demographic imbalance and in a few years will literally see millions enter the aging bracket, which makes it difficult to replace those workers who are growing older and retire.”
“ They need skilled workers, or people with the right attitude to work towards gaining those skills to help. Otherwise what would happen to their pensions, the welfare state, their education system. Where will the public funds to sustain a decent life come from?” concluded Mr Bartolo.