Former Labour MP Joseph Cuschieri launched his campaign for the European Parliament elections this evening promising to be "The worker's voice in Europe".

Mr Cuschieri resigned his parliamentary seat in September to make way for Opposition leader Joseph Muscat to be coopted to Parliament. He said when launching his campaign this evening that it had been a privilege and an honour for him to serve his party, the people and the country in this way.

His decision to contest the EP elections followed naturally, he said.

Mr Cuschieri praised his leader's achievements as a member of the EP and said that if the Nationalist Party was capable, it should get from the EU what Dr Muscat had managed to get.

"In this context, I fully believe that we are more European than our adversaries..."

The PL, he said, wanted a EU renewed as an institutional creation giving national dimensions importance for a balance to be retained between European and national levels.

He promised to work, together with the European Socialists, to get the best for Malta and the Maltese, placing the workers at the topmost of his agenda.

Other priorities would be education, health, EU funding, illegal migration, the environment, people's rights and Gozo.

He also promised to keep close to the people, organising meetings every six months.