MEP Roberta Metsola has been appointed to form part of a cross-party, high-level delegation of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee of European Parliament that will visit Malta to discuss irregular immigration at the end of this month.

The delegation will visit the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).

In a statement welcoming the visit, Dr Metsola said that "together with the European People's Party, I have tried very hard to get this visit off the ground and am very pleased that our efforts have paid off.

"It is an excellent opportunity for us to show Members of the European Parliament, from across the political spectrum, just what the situation on the ground in Malta actually is and to again put across our point that the pressures faced by Malta due to irregular immigration can and should be eased by coherent, holistic European action."

Reserving special praise for the actions of Malta's Armed Forces who risked their lives to save others, Dr Metsola said that the events in the Mediterranean in recent days had shown how urgent European action in this regard was.

The delegation will visit Malta between October 29 and 30 and will also include Austrian and Dutch MEPs from the Socialists (S&D) and the Liberals (ALDE) groups in the European Parliament.

The MEPs are expected to hold talks with different stakeholders in Malta and will also hold a dialogue with the public.