The Maltese government lost a golden opportunity on Thursday to strike a better deal on the EU Immigration Pact, Azzjoni Nazzjonali said today.

"France was eager to close its presidency successfully and Malta failed to take advantage of this situation. By contenting itself with a declaration that may yet prove meaningless, Malta might well be left carrying the burden of illegal immigration, finding solace only in the pitifully small numbers that the government takes every opportunity to boast it has repatriated," the party said.

It asked what Malta is to do until the good intentions of this Pact start being translated into action, adding that it hoped that the Pact would not be another 'Frontex' that would encourage greater numbers of illegal immigrants to head towards Malta, "leaving us with no other option except to helplessly beg for voluntary acceptance of burden sharing".

It urged the people to press for strong action by the government.