Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday admitted that Europe had done “almost nothing” to help on irregular migration and it was about time Malta and Italy were no longer left alone.

Addressing a European Parliament elections campaign activity in Msida in the presence of Hannes Swoboda, leader of the Socialist group, Dr Muscat said Europe must pass from lip service to concrete action.

He referred to the latest tragedy between Libya and Sicily over the weekend, saying Europe was again failing in this area.

One of the solutions for Malta, he said, would be the election of Martin Shultz – Mr Swoboda’s predecessor and now EP president – as the president of the European Commission.

Mr Schulz had promised to provide a legal avenue for migration into Europe, something which the government had been insisting on.

He denied a report in The Sunday Times of Malta saying Labour backbenchers were sharing an extra €1 million over and above their parliamentary honoraria through posts given to them by the government.

“Even if it were true, Simon Busuttil took €1.5 million only for himself,” he said in reference to contracts awarded by the previous administration to a consultancy firm in which Dr Busuttil was involved.

Dr Muscat urged all disgruntled Labour supporters, who might be thinking about not casting their vote, to make sure that the country continued to prosper.

Labour, he said, had not broken “a single promise” while the leader of the Opposition did not have a clue where to start from.