On Friday, April 25, in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, the European Democratic Party organized the forum “Building bridges, building the future. A European Agenda for Migration,” an important opportunity to discuss migration and asylum issues in Europe. In collaboration with the Coalición Canaria and with the participation of institutional representatives and experts, the forum reaffirmed the urgent need to anticipate the entry into force of the new European Pact on Asylum and Migration. The management of migration flows—this was the central message of the meeting—must be based on solidarity, the protection of human rights, and shared responsibility among all Member States, without leaving border regions such as the Canary Islands or the Basque Country to face the challenge alone.
Sandro Gozi, Secretary General of the EDP, opened the proceedings with a clear message: “The response to migration flows cannot be dictated by fear, which is too often used as a political weapon. Europe can and must be both safe and humane.” Mr. Gozi stressed the need to “defend a migration policy based on solidarity, which does not leave border regions alone.” Particular attention was paid to the issue of unaccompanied minors. Mr. Gozi made a strong appeal: ”If we fail them, we will have failed Europe. A European solidarity mechanism must be put in place immediately to distribute responsibilities fairly among all Member States.”
Oihane Aguirregoitia, Basque MEP for the EAJ-PNV, spoke on behalf of the territories, drawing attention to the migratory pressure weighing heavily on both the Canary Islands and the Basque Country. “The Canary Islands cannot continue to be the state’s or Europe’s containment wall, just as the Basque Country cannot be the northern border,” said Ms. Aguirregoitia, reaffirming the need for ”orderly, safe, and regular migration that puts people at the center.” The Basque MEP also highlighted the value of collaboration between Canarian and Basque institutions, recalling the joint work of Presidents Clavijo and Pradales: “This is a first step, but it is not enough. We must continue to work together to defend the interests of our territories and build solutions at the European level.”
Pablo Rodríguez, secretary of the Coalición Canaria in Gran Canaria, closed the series of speeches by painting a concrete picture of the situation experienced in the islands in recent months. Rodríguez recalled that the Atlantic route, a critical point for migratory flows for thirty years, has experienced a real humanitarian emergency over the last twenty months: “Europe cannot afford to take a single step backwards in terms of solidarity and protection of its southern border,” he warned.
Mr. Rodríguez then praised the response of the Canary Islands’ population, which, “despite the difficult times it is going through, has given Spain and Europe a lesson in humanity,” and thanked the EDP and the PNV “for understanding the gravity of the situation while others looked the other way.”
Another central theme of the forum was cooperation in countries of origin, with the presentation of the “Tierra firme” (firm ground) project developed by the Canary Islands government in Senegal and Mauritania. Francis Candil, Deputy Advisor for Social Welfare, presented this initiative as a model to follow: “Creating opportunities in countries of origin is essential to offer young people a dignified life without having to risk their lives to migrate.”
With this forum, the EDP sought to reaffirm a moderate, concrete, and deeply humane vision of migration management: building bridges, not walls, by combining security and rights, growth and solidarity.
