European Parliament President Pat Cox has no intention of intervening in the issue of the Labour Party's attempt to debar people from voting, saying this was an issue for the Maltese to settle.

Interviewed by The Times, Mr Cox said he had looked into the matter but it was up to the Maltese courts to decide whether people who were out of the country for more than six months were eligible to vote in the European elections in June.

"If you've got a problem with this issue, go to your Court, sort it out, don't turn it into an international European problem, because there isn't a European solution to a Maltese problem," he said.

Turning to the June elections, Mr Cox appealed to the Maltese voters to elect individuals who can dedicate enough time to the European Parliament.

"A serious contributor to European affairs will always help you when you need to call in a Maltese favour. So a level of engagement is indispensable, and that is more so for a small state," Mr Cox said.

He applauded the Labour Party's "mature" acceptance of EU membership, but appealed to Malta to stick to its decision once and for all in order to convey reliability and make the most of the new opportunities.

"Eventually the day will come when an opposition becomes a government and the worst thing that could happen is to uproot everything that has been planted and go somewhere else."