Joseph Cuschieri moved a step closer to taking his seat in the European Parliament when the 27 EU member states today formally approved a change in the EU Treaty to allow 18 new MEPs to join the chamber.

The change was approved at a short Intergovernmental Conference held in Brussels. Malta was represented by its permanent representative Richard Cachia Caruana.

The remaining hurdle is for the agreement to be ratified by all the member states. However, until that time, the prospective MEPs are expected to be invited to be observers.

“The Maltese Government spared no effort in its work to obtain the sixth seat for Malta in the European Parliament," Mr Cachia Caruana said after the conference.

"It must be recalled that when Malta joined the EU, the Treaty in force provided for only five MEPs for Malta. The Maltese Government continued to make the case that the minimum number of MEPs that would allow effective participation in the European Parliament would be six.

"This effort was geared not only to bring it on par with Member States of a similar population but also to ensure appropriate representation for Malta within this institution, whose powers have increased with the entry into force of successive Treaties.”