The time may have come for states to consider the viability of humanitarian visas, family reunion visas and short-term visas, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said today.

Giving a lecture on Migration and Peace Building in the Mediterranean at Warwick University, President Coleiro Preca said "We must work together to define new policies. Perhaps it is time for us to consider the viability of humanitarian visas, of family reunion visas, of short-term visas."

She said the Mediterranean was not merely a problem to be solved or a crisis to be undone but a centre for some of the most sustained and vibrant expressions of human life that this planet has known.

She said the movement of refugees was a global challenge that no nation was equipped to deal with alone.

“We must continue developing strategies for bringing together leaders from the global north and south, united around one table. And it should be clear that refugees and migrants themselves must be part of our conversations if we are to hope for a sustainable strategy that can deal with all facets of this pressing reality.”

Travel through the central Mediterranean, she said, remained the principal access route for migrants from various parts of the African continent.

“Impeding the activities of smugglers and traffickers is crucial if we are to become active agents in saving lives. “Traffickers exploiting refugees in the Mediterranean amassed over €5 billion in 2015 alone, according to figures released by Europol.

“Our efforts to counter this criminal activity must come as part of a larger process, which should include the creation of improved safety in border crossing, through the consensus of states not solely preoccupied with jurisdictional concerns,” the President said.

President Coleiro Preca noted that the people were becoming so accustomed to news reports of the dead and dying that they were becoming immune to suffering.

“This cannot go on. Any sincere efforts towards building peace must take into consideration the identities of communities on both sides of the Mediterranean,” she said…

“We must find ways of moving away from the stereotypes and prejudices that have come, all too often, to define our discourses on migration. It is vital that we prioritise the importance of wellbeing as a guide in our conceptual and practical approaches in these areas. We must resist those who would label migrants as intruders or burdens on society. Instead, we must bring to light the reality of added values and opportunities that migrants bring to our communities,” the President said.

The President's lecture may be read in the pdf link below.