More democratic base for EU institutions (4)

(ANSA) - Dublin, February 14 - European Union institutions should have a more democratic base, President Sergio Mattarella said on a visit to Dublin Wednesday. He also said that Italians' trust in the EU must be restored.
    "The consensus of the Italians towards Europe has diminished in these years and it must be restored," Mattarella said after talks with Irish counterpart Michael Higgins. "We must seize the opportunity to do so in this window that is opening from now until the European elections of 2019". He stressed that "EU institutions must have a more democratic base and must guarantee work and future for young people who must be put at the centre of European policies".
    The problem of migrant repatriation is one shared "by the whole European Union", Mattarella said. "Those who think the problem of immigration only concerns Mediterranean countries are wrong," he said. "It will soon concern all of Europe". Mattarella recalled that Africa will soon have three times the population of Europe and so "legal channels are needed for entry". These are all things, he said, that no single country can manage on its own. "Repatriation, too, must become a European problems," said the Italian head of State.