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7 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2013 'It's time for the European community to listen' PAGE 1 PHOTOGRAPHY BY GILBERT CALLEJA Yesterday, Vegliò told the conference discussing integration and inclusion, that migrants were not numbers. "They are human beings who have to be treated with dignity and respect. That is their inalienable fundamental right," he said. He said that one had to understand the migrants' suffering, who in a family's dream of a better life, they split up in the hope of reuniting again one day. The bishops said that financial assistance was not enough for migrants. "Financial aid is important... but not everything. Solidarity does not stop at forking out money but making a migrant feel part of the community." He said that the Church preached about community work because its mission was to see that the vulnerable were not to be alienated. Pre-empting journalists' questions, Vegliò said there was a lot that the Church did to help and support the migrants: "We do give a lot of support to the communities and our role is very important. The Pope wants us to get out of our comfort zone, take the initiative, to be the first to approach the needy rather than them coming to us." The Cardinal, like the Pope, insisted that the issue of migration and the deaths at sea were not the responsibility of only one country, but the whole of Europe. "No country can do this on its own. Malta is not the migrants' final destination country... but a country of transit. Migrants want to go upwards towards Europe. And these countries must come together in an understanding that these individuals are not a burden." But as much as member states such as Malta, Italy and Greece have called for burden sharing – now referred to as 'responsibility sharing' – many member states, especially those in the North, are reluctant to budge. Most crucially, border countries seek changes to the Dublin II regulations. According to these regulations, countries taking in irregular migrants are responsible from processing their claims for asylum. When 130 migrants died in a shipwreck off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Pope Francis had labelled the tragedy "a disgrace" and had accused world leaders of "global indifference". "It's time for the European community to listen. Something is be- ing done, but there is an element of coldness as well. How the law is framed, makes it easier for countries to take their distance," Vegliò said. While the Church had its social role to carry out, its focal point was pastoral care and it therefore could not replace NGOs, according to Cardinal Josip Bozanić, the Archbishop of Zagreb, who is chairing the meeting. "The Church cannot be compared with other organisation. It has a specific pastoral mission which cannot substitute NGOs," Bozanić said. The Archbishop insisted that as a Church, priests had to guide individuals in the way of the Lord. This year, Pope Francis turned to the Archdioceses of the world, urging them to open up their buildings and places and welcome the most vulnerable. In Malta, the Maltese Archdiocese had long been taking an active approach in supporting migrants. Today, the Church caters for around 400 beds in different localities Antonio Maria Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council for the pastoral care of migrants and itinerant people, with Mgr Alfred Vella from the Emigrants' Commission (left) Photo: Photocity around the island. Mgr Alfred Vella, director of the Malta Emigrants Commission, said the Archdiocese was now in the process of refurbishing one of its centres to take in more migrant families. Plans were also in the pipeline to open a day centre, allowing mothers to find a job and be in a position to provide for their children. "We were on the right track and did the right thing when the Maltese Church took an active role and opened its doors to support migrants," Vella said. "But if the problem keeps on getting bigger, it doesn't mean we have to give up. It means that we must continue doing our utmost." He said that the Maltese Archdiocese always cooperated with civil society to ensure solidarity and a collective approach to a complex problem. 55% not willing to pay more to help developing countries JAMES DEBONO 55% of Maltese say they are not willing to pay more for groceries or other products from developing countries to support people living there, a Europe-wide survey by the EU's Eurobarometer shows. In all 27 EU member states, almost half of the respondents (48%) said they were willing to pay more for products hailing from developing countries, while 47% were not willing to pay more than they are doing today. This is a reversal of the situation recorded in June 2012 when 52% were unwilling to pay more. Even in Malta, people were more disposed to pay more than last year, but 60% were unwilling to pay more. While 34% of Maltese are willing to pay up to 5% more, just 4% of respondents said they were willing to pay more than 6% more than they are doing now. Similarly, in all 27 EU member states 34% say they would be ready to pay up to 5% more, while 14% would be ready to pay more than 6%. The survey shows that over 50% of respondents in nine member states, are ready to pay more for products from developing countries. The number of people who are willing to do this is particularly high in Sweden (80%), Luxembourg (74%) and the Netherlands (72%). But at the other end of the scale, in five member states less than 30% of people express a willingness to pay more for products from developing countries: Portugal (18%), Bulgaria (21%), Latvia (27%), Romania (28%) and Lithuania (29%). The survey, which was published last week, was carried out between 24 May and 9 June 2013 and includes 500 respondents from Malta.

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