Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1165935
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 SEPTEMBER 2019 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications New European Commission NOW that the European Commission has announced its new commissioners- designate, I can't say that I am sur- prised that Ursula von der Leyen has attempted to transform the 'migration and security' job into a new "Commis- sioner for Protecting our European Way of Life". Not surprised because, in the tradi- tion of EU bureaucrat-ese and mumbo jumbo, we have an Orwellian-sound name for what should be a 'simple' job – migration and asylum policy as well as border security – which ef- fectively tells people that migrants are not welcome to Europe (for what is the European way of life if not something worth defending from marauding asy- lum claimants?) I am neither a supporter of the EU's far-reaching tentacles, nor an op- ponent of migration. I believe in fair asylum policies that protect the perse- cuted, I believe in given visa-controlled access to developing nations, and I believe in secure borders and also EU development aid that can help coun- tries stem migration flows. But these 'rebrands' simply make my eyes water and only further colours the desperation of EU hopefuls like VDL herself to use weird titles that are somehow meant to enamour us to the European project. Ironic, that in a Eu- rope being placed on the back foot by the rising tide of illiberal governments and far-right parties, VDL appears to cave in to these right-wing fantasies by adopting such a title for the migra- tion job. I mean, what is the European way of life? Which Europe are we talk- ing about (north, south, Visegrad's Europe?); and how did education and employment end up under the purview of Margaritis Schinas? Dutch liberal MEP Sophie in 't Veld correctly pointed out that the very point about the European way of life, "is the freedom for individuals to chose their own way of life. We do not need a Commissioner for that, thank you very much. The implication that Europeans need to be protected from external cultures is grotesque and this narrative should be rejected." I would not go as far that the Euro- pean 'way of life' should be protected from Europe's least favoured prime ministers and those who advocate leaving the bloc. But it also should be protected from career politicians who seem destined to forget why the EU is remaining distant from its people. Let's hope that its executive vice-presidents for economy and climate change can really take the bloc forward to its most serious challenges in the near future: the coming recession, and the coming climate calamity. Kenneth Woolls, Mellieha Solitary confinement THE negative psychological impact of solitary confinement is well docu- mented. The Malta Chamber of Psycholo- gists, inspired by the call of the Dean of the Faculty for Social Well-being Prof Andrew Azzopardi to abolish such a practice, petitions for a severe restric- tion of the use of solitary confinement and for the authorities to ensure that the standards set out by international human rights organisations are ad- hered to. The Malta Chamber of Psychologists urges the authorities to consider, in line with the Council of Europe Com- mittee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), that "solitary confinement should only be imposed in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort and for the shortest possible time". The Chamber would also like to note that the CPT considers "that solitary confinement should never be imposed – or be imposable at the discretion of the court concerned – as part of a sen- tence". Imprisonment is punishment in its own right. Cher V. Laurenti Engerer, Malta Chamber of Psychologists