Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil has been given two Euro-Mediterranean posts within the European Parliament.

During the first meeting of the European Parliament's delegation to the Maghreb countries on Monday, Dr Busuttil was elected one of two vice-presidents of the delegation, which consists of 20 MEPs.

Separately, during a meeting of the budget committee, Dr Busuttil was appointed rapporteur on Meda funding, which groups together all EU funds allocated to non-EU countries in the Mediterranean.

In this latter role, Dr Busuttil will be required to report to Parliament on how EU funds are being used in the Euro-Med region, making him a spokesman on the subject and a key negotiator with the other EU institutions and the Mediterranean countries that benefit from EU funding.

Speaking to The Times following his appointments, Dr Busuttil said that in view of Malta's direct interest in the EU's Mediterranean policy he had expressed a wish to contribute to the European Parliament's work in the Mediterranean. He had requested to participate in the Maghreb delegation and had also called upon the European People's Party (EPP) to support a Maltese nominee for the vice-presidency of the delegation.

Dr Busuttil said this appointment would put him "in the inner circle of the European Parliament's work with non-EU Mediterranean countries which were of strategic interest to Malta". He recalled that contributing to the EU's Euro-Mediterranean policy was a key factor in making a success of Malta's membership of the European Union.

"In these two posts of responsibility, I hope to strengthen the EU's commitment to its southern neighbours but I also want to leave Malta's mark on the EU's Mediterranean policy and enhance my country's prestige with its neighbouring countries. I thank the EPP for its concrete support even though, with two MEPs rather than three, the Nationalist Party delegation was not automatically eligible for any of these posts. Clearly, this shows that the EPP is convinced that Malta can make a positive contribution in the Mediterranean region," he said.

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