Brussels – ESI presentation on migration at the European People’s Party Political Assembly

23 February 2026
Gerald at the EPP Session. Photo: ESI
Gerald at the EPP Session. Photo: ESI

ESI’s Gerald Knaus spoke on a panel focused on European migration policy organized by the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest party in the European parliament, in Brussels. The panel, titled “The External Dimension Of Migration.” Joining Gerald on the panel was Léon Gloden, the Minister for Home Affairs of Luxembourg; Tomas Tobé, a Member of the European Parliament with the EPP; and Hugo Brady, Senior Strategic Advisor for the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. The panel was chaired by Dolors Montserrat, EPP Secretary General.

Gerald emphasized the urgent need for democratic parties in Europe to take real action on migration management to counter the rise of the identitarian far-right, for whom migration has become a signature issue. Gerald emphasized that harsh rhetoric alone will not have an effect, noting how Austria accepted among the most migrants per-capita even as its chancellor promised to crack down against migrants. He emphasised that the EU-Turkey Statement is an example of a real solution that would be both effective and moral. He noted that following the agreement, both illegal crossings and migrant deaths along the Mediterranean route fell by around ninety percent. He suggested that the EU could pursue a similar partnership with the United Kingdom. Under such an arrangement, migrants who cross the English Channel irregularly would be returned through a legal process, while the United Kingdom would commit to resettling a defined number of people from EU territory through safe and lawful pathways. If successful, this model could later be extended to additional partners, helping Europe regain orderly and humane control over migration.

The next day, Gerald had numerous meetings with elected officials in Brussels, meeting Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, EU diplomats, and NATO officials.  With them, he discussed issues ranging from how to protect the pillars of democratic peace in Europe and enlarge the EU’s zone of stability to increasing support for Ukraine against continuing Russian attacks.

Gerald Speaking at the Session. Photo: ESI
Gerald Speaking at the Session. Photo: ESI