The European Asylum Support Office in Valletta is being inaugurated on Sunday by EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. The office is the first EU agency in Malta.

The ceremony will be held at the Upper Barakka Gardens in the presence of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, representatives of the Hungarian and Polish Presidencies of the EU Council, MEPs, EU ambassadors, and the deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The new office began some of its activities last November and according to the Commission it will now be fully operational.

The new agency was established with the aim of enhancing practical cooperation on asylum matters, and helping member states fulfil their European and international obligations to give protection to people in need.

In a statement, Commissioner Malmstrom said that the agency will provide support to member states confronted with unexpected inflows of asylum seekers and to those which simply need to make their asylum system more fair and efficient.

"It is an indispensable instrument to help achieve a more comprehensive and protective Common European Asylum System. Practices for receiving asylum seekers still vary considerably from one EU country to the other and much more needs to be done to achieve a greater convergence of approaches. The Support office will have an important role in that", Ms Malmström said.

Following the official opening, the EASO Management Board will meet later in the week at which time the Executive Director, Rob Visser, will present the state of play of implementation of the Agency's work programme for 2011 and will also propose an outline for the 2012 work programme.