Tusk appeals for moderation on migration

European Council President Donald Tusk has appealed for "moderation" as Europe struggles to get to grips with its migration crisis. In a speech in Brussels, the former Polish PM said: "I am making a plea for pragmatism and moderation the very same principles that should guide our response to the other challenge facing Europe: refugees. 

"The present wave of migration is not a one-time incident…which only means that we will have to deal with this problem for many years to come. Therefore it is so important to learn to live with it without blaming each other. Compassion is one of the foundations of solidarity, but in order to be able to help others we ourselves must be pragmatic at the same time.

"The migrant influx has unsettled European governments and prompted diverse responses. Hungary's conservative leadership is building a border fence to try to keep them out, but German politicians have expressed pride in crowds who turned out to welcome new arrivals.

The UNHCR highlighted the growing scale of the migrant issue, releasing new figures that suggests it expected 400,000 migrants to arrive in Europe by sea in 2015.The majority are Syrian, and the UN says many are now seeking a better life in Europe because of poor conditions in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon - caused in part because of a drastic shortfall in multilateral aid programmes.

In a wide-ranging speech, Tusk also addressed the ongoing problems facing the eurozone, saying: "To improve our Economic and Monetary Union, three key elements require special attention. These are: a common European scheme to insure bank deposits, a true capital markets' union and a eurozone system of competitiveness authorities. The legal advice is clear - we can introduce a common European deposit insurance scheme within the current EU treaties."

He said he is confident the  EU will overcome its current problems, adding: "In September 2005, the Union was in a deep political crisis after the rejection of the constitutional treaty by voters in France and the Netherlands… I believe that the European project had drifted too much towards political day-dreaming and too far away from real life."

"We should use every possibility to improve and correct the current system. Most importantly we should try and apply the rules and principles existing today with greater determination and engagement. Following the current rules would help us to avoid the many problems of the eurozone, as well as those resulting from the new migratory wave. Step-by-step action is a fine European tradition." On the issue of solidarity, another favourite theme for the EU, he said, "Europe is the only place where the idea of solidarity is treated as a supreme political principle, or even more, as the main purpose of her existence. Today's disputes about how to apply solidarity in practice, especially in the context of refugees, show us that although we are not perfect, we address this idea with all seriousness." Tusk was addressing the annual dinner of Bruegel, the leading Brussels based think tank.

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