Euro socialists ask MLP to clarify link to Eurosceptics

The Party of European Socialists wrote to the Malta Labour Party on Monday asking it to clarify its status with regard to its connections with Eurosceptics, PES spokesman Tony Robinson confirmed yesterday.

The situation came to a head last week when the European parliament met in Strasbourg. The MLP's observer Euro MPs George Vella and John Attard Montalto sit with the PES Group in the parliament.

The PES did not go into specific links in its letter, but only raised the issue in broad terms, he told The Times.

By yesterday evening it had not yet received a reply.

Another issue the PES intends to clarify is the MLP's status: although the MLP is a member of the PES, it only has observer status, the lowest rank of status, and has never sought closer links.

The PES has appointed vice-president Jan Marinus Wiersma to head talks with MLP leader Alfred Sant.

In the meantime, the leader of the UK Labour Party in the European Parliament and vice-president of the PES Group Gary Titley has written to the MLP welcoming "their colleagues from the MLP as observers in the European Parliament".

"As an observer party of the PES and members of the Socialist International, we clearly see their place in the European Parliament as being here with the PES Group and look forward to the contribution they can offer our political group," he said in a statement distributed to the local media by the MLP.

When asked about Mr Titley's statement, Mr Robinson said there was nothing inconsistent about the PES stand.

"We have always said we would be very pleased to upgrade the MLP's status should they apply for this," he said.

"We just need to clarify the position with regards to the Eurosceptics..."