Sybrand van Haersma Buma
Statement
Sybrand van Haersma Buma (1965) has been party leader for the Christian Democrats since 2010 and MP since 2002. Before that he was a policy advisor for the same party.
Van Haersma Buma says: "A new cultural awareness is needed in Europe, to achieve resilience in a chaotic world ... We must realize that we need not be afraid if we know that we have an identity, values and traditions. They must be emphasized first and foremost. Only then something can be done about the growing sense of insecurity on the continent ... In a chaotic world where we face many changes, it is important to be proud of what has been achieved and what we stand for. Society has become too uncertain and this creates feelings of insecurity."
On the question of refugees, van Haersma Buma states: "Whoever is on the street gets shelter and food. That is our moral duty. But the question is how long we can continue to do this. The refugees today are just the beginning. Where do we draw the line? ... I would consider it naive not to talk about that question."
He calls for:
- Pushing back on European integration to have the EU focus on "core tasks"
- Investing in the military
- Expansion of EU collaboration in leading teams of countries
- Always providing help and protection for refugees that are genuinely in need.
