European Union heads of government have adopted the Immigration and Asylum Pact, which was agreed by Justice and Home Affairs Minsters earlier this month.

The pact was adopted at the end of a two-day meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

The Labour Party had urged the Prime Minister not to sign the Pact because the provisions on burden sharing are voluntary.

Dr Gonzi in comments to the press said today that the Pact had been unanimously approved by the Member States. Malta, which had long been seeking this Pact, would now work for it to be implemented. Indeed, its implementation would be mentioned in the conclusions of the Council meeting.

The European Commission was now being tasked to bring the Pact into force and funds were already being allocated for this purpose.

Dr Gonzi pointed out that the Pact was not only about burden-sharing but also involved other aspects including coordination for the repatriation of migrants, something which had been problematic for Malta.

Dr Gonzi said all of Europe was in agreement over the Pact and he hoped the same would be the case in Malta.