Attard Montalto quit EP committee shortly after his appointment

Labour MEP John Attard Montalto resigned his post on the Constitutional Committee soon after his appointment - claiming his demands for an alternative post have been ignored, The Sunday Times has learnt.

Dr Attard Montalto resigned last July, just a few weeks after the newly-elected MEPs were assigned their respective committees at the beginning of the European Parliament's legislature.

He has not attended related sessions since, and missed a meeting last Monday in which the future of the 18 new MEPs was discussed.

Joseph Cuschieri - one of the new 18 MEPs - last week complained that nothing was being done by the government and his party to ensure he is able to take up his seat in Brussels.

Dr Attard Montalto admitted he has not been attending the sessions because he is demanding his party and political group in Brussels substitute his duties immediately. He said he wanted to form part of either the Foreign Affairs Committee or the Development Committee.

"The Constitutional Committee is not my cup of tea and has no bearing on Malta. Before these duties were negotiated, I was promised by my party that I would be a member of either the Foreign Affairs Committee or the Development Committee. For some reason, which still I don't know, my desired posts were not negotiated and I was lumped with the Constitutional Committee," Dr Attard Montalto said.

His resignation letter, seen by The Sunday Times, was sent to Labour's dead of delegation Louis Grech and the Socialist Group's leader in Brussels Martin Schultz. Labour Leader Joseph Muscat was repeatedly informed about the situation.

But Dr Attard Montalto still appears on the list of members of the Constitutional Committee.

"I know this is really embarrassing and is also causing me political harm since I am appearing as if I am not attending my meetings. This is obviously not true since I resigned a long time ago, but my group has not yet found the time to adhere to my requests for some reason or other," he said.

Dr Attard Montalto added that he wanted to contribute in areas which were of direct benefit to Malta: "It is really a shame that out of 27 members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, one of the strongest in the EP, there is no Maltese MEP. Am I asking for something extraordinary?"

The PL's other two MEPs, Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna, were assigned high positions in the committees they wished to follow.

When asked why Dr Attard Montalto's requests were not met, MEP Louis Grech said his group was trying to find a solution.