(Brussels) “When we see that in Europe one Jew out of five has been physically or verbally abused, when such attacks happen more and more often, and when we see that the Jewish population in Europe has decreased from nearly four million in 1945 to just little more than one million now, then we know that the time has come not only to take a clear political commitment, but to act effectively as soon as possible. Europe must be a better home for its Jewish citizens”. Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, ended the conference that took place in the Brussels premises of the EU Assembly yesterday with a call to protect all EU citizens, especially those who were or are exposed to some form of discrimination and racism. They include Jews, whom the meeting, which focussed on the current state of anti-Semitism and the future prospects of the Jewish communities, was dedicated to. The conference was prompted by the finding that in the EU countries the Jewish community is constantly shrinking (according to the Jewish Agency’s figures, nearly 10 thousand Jews moved to Israel in 2015, 8 thousand of them from France alone). “Some of us have not understood yet that what makes us Europeans is not our blood or our religion, it is our deep adherence to our values of tolerance, respect and freedom”, Schulz concluded, in front of many leaders of European Jewish communities. A special commemoration was made by Schulz today for former Israeli president, Simon Peres, who has just died.