Labour MEP says Juncker must give concrete answers on migration

Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi said she was left disappointed by the performance of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in his grilling before socialist MEPs, as Juncker gets ready to be voted in by the members of the European Parliament.

“His performance left much to be desired and I felt that he was taking our vote for granted,” Mizzi, who is now in her second legislature, said.

“He concentrated on topics which were non-controversial but skimmed over those which he is unsure of, or those which clashed with strategies important to the SnD political group. This gave me the impression that he was trying to woo our vote without brushing us the wrong way,” Mizzi said.

Juncker is expected to be elected European Commission president in a cross-party consensus in Brussels, after the European People’s Party secured the majority of votes in the European Parliament elections in May.

Mizzi said the former Luxembourg prime minister skimmed over the migratory pressures facing countries like Malta, Italy Greece and Spain. “He did not even acknowledge that there was a problem. I have forwarded my written question asking for his strategy as Commission President, on common immigration policy, responsibility sharing and his approach to countries from where trips are originating, like Libya,” Mizzi said. 

The MEP said SnD president Gianni Pittella had included her question on migration in the list of topics he will discuss with Juncker, prior to MEPs’ vote on Tuesday.