Jacques Barrot and immigration

"We need immig-ration to protect Europe against the demographic crisis which threatens our economies and our social protection systems," Jacques Barrot, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, wrote on The Times (June 29).

That, in essence, is the reason behind his special pleading. Wrapped up in whatever language you like, the truth remains that Europe has an aging population and is hungry for hands to man its industries and for deep pockets it can tax. A situation similar in many ways to Malta's, where illegal immigrants are welcomed by those looking for a source of cheap labour and where women are being enticed to leave home and go out to work in order to provide the taxman with a wider net.

The reasons for Europe's aging population (and our own) are many and have been often discussed. But the overwhelming reason is that, having tasted the good life, Europeans are not willing to forfeit it in order to have more children. And who can blame them? Children bring added love to a family but they also bring heavy responsibilities. The minuscule flats going up all over Malta - tomorrow's slums - can hardly ever be home to families with more than the statistical 1.5 children, unless they rear them in the streets, of course. The ever-increasing cost of living makes the decision to have any children at all an extremely difficult one because, understandably, no would-be parents want to live in straitened circumstances all their life simply to have more children.

Having more children means money, and a fair amount of it. There is the need for a bigger home if you are to venture beyond the statistics. There are more mouths to feed and clothe. There are educational and medical expenses to be covered. The occasional evening out, or going anywhere that requires money, becomes prohibitive. The list is almost endless and anybody who has children and a limited budget will understand the situation immediately. And the young people whom we are trying to send to the university in ever-increasing numbers don't want to live that sort of life. They don't want to be just breeding machines. This is where Europe has gone wrong and now needs immigration to protect it against the demographic crisis that "threatens its economies and its social protection systems". And, unfortunately, it is imposing its values and its feeble antidotes on us.

Governments all over Europe are prepared to invest enormous sums in all kinds of loony schemes, but they have not yet found the wisdom to invest in families. Instead of supporting families, they prefer to import foreign workers, most of whom possess few skills and find it difficult to adapt to the society they find themselves in. In fact, they often end up living on benefits themselves. To avoid this, as Mr Barrot says, the EU is trying to use the blue card system, whereby it tries to limit entrance to those who have a marketable skill. Fantastically, the EU then talks about circular immigration, whereby, after making his or her money, the immigrant who has been making a life in a European country is expected to return home to uplift his country.

I would like to ask Mr Barrot: Return to what? Many Maltese migrants do not even dream of returning to Malta unless it's to retire here. Those who are earning good money know quite well there is nothing for them to come back to. Those who can make use of the wider horizons prevailing abroad are not willing to come back to claustrophobia.

During the campaign for European accession, the greatest promise the Nationalist Party held out to people was that our young men and women would have a brighter future because all of Europe would be at their feet. Many have taken that option. Most don't even dream of returning, especially those who establish relationships with other European citizens.

What has stopped many others leaving is the lack of education or necessary skills. Once our young people start leaving at a faster rate, we shall encounter Europe's problem. Who will they be substituted by? That is why society is under siege. The stalemate can only be broken by giving the family the means to become the size it wants to be. The choice must not be between children and poverty. That is why Azzjoni Nazzjonali had suggested in its electoral manifesto the establishment of a Family Institute that would thoroughly research and provide solutions to help families grow in all senses.

We are living in a world of the "instant" product. When it comes to the family, governments have preferred to import labour - with its attendant problems - rather than invest in the family. But then governments are notoriously bad planners.

Thirty years ago, they invested in the trend for families to have fewer children; it became a very "non-you" thing to breed above the 1.5 if you were smart and "with it". Now that trend has come back to hit them where it hurts - in the manpower they need for their industries, in the increased taxation necessary to sustain the inflated benefits that all have come to see as a birthright.

No, Mr Barrot. The answer is not for Europe to take in more immigrants. The answer is to stimulate families to grow and to prosper. Malta is already over-populated and we do not need the instant import. What we need is to redress the ratios between contributing citizens and the elderly. And that can only be done by making our families financially viable.

Dr Muscat is leader of Azzjoni Nazzjonali.