The Budgets Committee of the European Parliament today adopted an amendment tabled last month by MEP Simon Busuttil calling for the establishment of a "Solidarity Mechanism" to enable burden-sharing on immigration among EU member states.

The committee accepted Dr Busuttil's amendment to allocate an additional €5 million to the European Refugee Fund so that the operation of the burden-sharing mechanism could start.

Another €5 million were allocated to promote other resettlement schemes.

The amendment as adopted, reflects the burden-sharing provision recently adopted by EU ministers.

Dr Busuttil expressed his satisfaction that the committee had endorsed his request .

"I am delighted that today Parliament has followed in the steps of the Immigration Pact recently adopted by Council in giving its green-light for a burden-sharing mechanism.

"Moreover, we went one step further by allocating an initial €5 million to help get this mechanism going. Today, Parliament put its money where its mouth is."

Separately, the committee also adopted a compromise on another amendment tabled by Dr Busuttil which allocates an additional €10 million to the EU's Frontex agency to enable it to extend its maritime missions in Southern Europe on a permanent basis with effect from next January.

MEP Louis Grech, who was present at the meeting, intervened to secure the Socialists' support on the Frontex amendment. The vote in the Budget Committee is expected to be endorsed in the Parliament's plenary when it meets later this month in Strasbourg to vote on the first reading of the EU budget for 2009.