Labour leader Joseph Muscat was yesterday given a ringing endorsement by the leader of the European Parliament’s social democrat grouping, Hannes Swoboda.

The Austrian MEP, who sat alongside Dr Muscat when the latter was a European Parliamentarian between 2004 and 2008, said he had “very high” expectations of his former colleague.

“Dr Muscat knows what he wants, he knows how European institutions work and he is well-respected. If Joseph Muscat is elected he will have a growing family of social democrats in Europe behind him,” Mr Swoboda said on One TV.

He said a Labour victory would be a “double-edged sword” for European social democrats, since it would most likely mean losing MEPs and PL election candidates Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna to domestic politics.

Mr Grech and Prof. Scicluna, seated to Mr Swoboda’s left and right, listened on and smiled, while fellow MEP Joseph Cuschieri assured Mr Swoboda that the Labour Party had “many talented people who could step in and contribute to the European parliament”.

There was no mention of the controversies currently swirling around both major parties. Instead, talk focused on the PL’s eventual contribution to European politics.

In the ideological battle between pushing for economic growth or tightening purse-strings to ensure austerity, deputy leader Mr Grech made it clear that the PL would be pitching its tent within the growth camp.

Malta also had the potential to be a catalyst for pan-European change, Mr Grech said, although that statement was not fleshed out in any detail.

Prof. Scicluna said that the PL was eager to introduce a more European style of politics to Malta – a politics “based on compromise and taking other perspectives on board”, as he described it.

Mr Cuschieri, meanwhile, felt that the Nationalist party was clutching at straws when it emphasised its years of experience at the helm.

“Joseph Muscat will continue winning people over in the weeks to come,” he said. “And I know that if the PL is elected, March 9 will be just the beginning. The real work will begin the following day,” he said.