Globalist Extremist Von der Leyen Urges Expanding Legal Migration Routes to Europe to Help People Who ‘Dream of a Better Life’
In her speech at a global migration conference in Brussels, von der Leyen at no point addressed the rising crime rates among foreigners or the growing sense of insecurity among Europeans.
The European Union must expand legal migration routes and increase pressure on the criminal networks behind illegal border crossings, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a global migration conference in Brussels on Wednesday, writes Thomas Brooke .
Von der Leyen stated that creating structured, regulated routes to the EU is essential if the Union wants to become less dependent on smuggling networks. “We need to open more safe, legal routes to Europe,” she said, urging closer cooperation between Europe and partner countries, including the G7. “We need to ensure that people can find jobs where their talent is needed… transferring skills across our borders.”
The Commission President highlighted the EU’s new “talent partnerships”—schemes that enable non-EU citizens to work legally in Europe—saying that five countries have already signed up and that Brussels hopes more will follow. She said a newly established “talent pool” would connect European employers with qualified workers from outside the EU, with a pilot project in India to help jobseekers access legal pathways. If successful, she said, it could become “a blueprint for partnerships with other countries.”
She described these initiatives as beneficial for both Europe and partner countries by developing skills, creating opportunities, and keeping young people engaged. “By working together in partnerships, we have found safe alternatives to the deadly criminal smuggling networks,” she added.
In addition to legal routes, Von der Leyen announced a significant tightening of the EU’s enforcement strategy. Brussels is preparing a new sanctions regime that will directly target migrant smugglers and the financial channels that sustain them. “We need stronger legal instruments to dismantle these criminal practices,” she said. “That’s why Europe is developing a tough new sanctions regime against smugglers… Our goal is simple. We want to bankrupt their businesses by all means available.”
The Commission President said the measures could include travel bans and asset confiscation, developed in collaboration with G7 partners. She noted that migrants entering the EU illegally often fall prey to “modern slavery networks” and said expanding legal migration routes is essential to eliminate these groups.
The president also called for a significant expansion of the EU’s border agency, Frontex, which she said should be tripled to 30,000 staff as part of broader efforts to strengthen border management and combat illegal immigration. According to von der Leyen, the number of illegal arrivals has fallen by 37 percent this year, with a 26 percent decrease on the most frequently used routes.
Her remarks came amid ongoing controversy over the EU’s recently adopted Asylum and Migration Pact, which includes expedited procedures for returning undocumented migrants and a mandatory solidarity mechanism. Under this system, member states must accept relocated migrants or pay a €20,000 “solidarity contribution” per person if they refuse. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have all voiced their opposition, while countries like Poland will receive temporary adjustments to their quotas due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees they are already hosting.
Von der Leyen acknowledged the political challenges, but said the EU’s overarching principle must remain clear: “Europeans decide who crosses borders and under what conditions, not smugglers.”
“We all have one common goal,” she told the delegates. “The common goal is to drive the smugglers out of business. To save the lives of thousands of people who dream of a better life.”
At no point in her speech did she mention the impact of illegal immigration on European citizens. She didn’t mention the disproportionately high percentage of crimes committed by migrants in the EU, nor the sharp decline in citizens’ sense of security.
Instead, she told the audience: “We need to build more bridges between our continents. We need to ensure that people can find jobs where their talents are needed, where their skills are relevant, and that they can use their skills beyond our borders.”