Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil has been appointed to conduct negotiations on behalf of the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament, on a European Commission proposal to set up an EU asylum agency next year.
Dr Busuttil's presence on the team of negotiators, which will draw up the EP's position on the agency, takes on added significance in view of the fact that Malta last week showed a keen interest in hosting this agency.
At the same time, Dr Busuttil yesterday denied a claim made by the Labour Party that he did not support a similar proposal made by Labour MEP Louis Grech three years ago.
Labour issued a statement saying that Dr Busuttil and David Casa, another Nationalist MEP, had failed to vote in favour of a similar proposal.
Describing this claim as "totally false", Dr Busuttil appealed to Labour to stop dragging partisan politics into such a sensitive issue.
"Labour's claim is not only false but ridiculous," he told The Times when asked whether it was true that he opposed Mr Grech's original proposal to set up a similar agency.
"First of all, this proposal is not a Socialist discovery as (Labour leader) Joseph Muscat would have us believe. It is an EU initiative that goes back to the Hague Programme in 2004. So, as usual, the Labour party is trying to take credit for other people's ideas.
"Secondly, three years ago, I supported a budget amendment proposed by Louis Grech on this office, even if plans were still vague because the matter was still being studied by the Commission.
My support was also reported in the media; so it is incredible that Labour should now claim that I did not support Mr Grech," Dr Busuttil said.
Dr Busuttil said Labour should try to restrain itself from making a partisan issue out of such a serious and sensitive challenge as immigration.
Touching on the subject of the agency, Dr Busuttil said according to the EU Executive's proposals, the asylum office will be set up at a European level to help improve the way in which EU rules on asylum are applied throughout the Union.
It will be required to support practical cooperation on asylum, to support member states when they find themselves under particular migratory pressure and to contribute to the implementation of the Common European Asylum System.
Dr Busuttil said the office was of direct interest to countries, such as Malta, which faced severe pressure from asylum-seekers and he would be putting forward amendments to improve it.