Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be expected to return from this week’s European Council in Brussels with solutions in terms of EU help on migration, the Nationalist Party said yesterday.

Addressing a news conference outside the Armed Forces of Malta maritime station at Haywharf, Opposition spokesman on home affairs Jason Azzopardi said: “Come next Saturday morning, Malta will be expecting concrete results on mandatory burden sharing and relocation, just as Dr Muscat had promised at the end of October’s summit.”

Dr Azzopardi described the Prime Minister’s statements back then as smacking of triumphalism, adding that the time had come for him to live up to his promises.

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola, who also addressed the media, said the resolution adopted by the European Parliament last October was the yardstick by which the Prime Minister could negotiate with other EU members.

“This resolution lists the ways in which irregular migration can be addressed, such as with the Eurema relocation pilot project, combating organised crime and tackling the issue in a holistic manner.”

She urged the Prime Minister to insist on burden sharing but at the same time not to adopt a militant approach during negotiations, saying this would backfire.

Probed about allegations made by the Italian newspaper L’Espresso, that a boat laden with 270 asylum seekers had capsized off Lampedusa following the armed forces’ refusal to receive assistance from the Italian authorities, Ms Metsola said she was still waiting for replies from the army.

She added that if the Maltese authorities were not forthcoming she would have to raise the issue at the European Parliament.