Malta's continued pressure on the EU to push for more solidarity in the field of migration is bearing fruit as the European Commission this morning unveiled a new plan of action aimed at boosting burden sharing among its 27 member states.

Launching the plan, which will now have to be translated into concrete actions, Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom announced that the Commission will be boosting further the idea of an intra-EU relocation system by allocating more money so that member states can relocate more and more people with international protection from countries under pressure such as Malta.

"We have heard many a declaration about asylum solidarity, not least during the past year, but we have not seen as much action. The time for talk is over," Commissioner Malmstrom told journalists in Brussels.

"The values of solidarity, tolerance and mutual respect now need to be turned into concrete results. That is why today we are proposing measures to help EU Member States live up to their responsibility of offering protection to people in need," she said.

To boost intra-EU relocations, Brussels is proposing more support by the European Asylum Support Office, an increase of funds to make relocation more attractive and an early warning system to identify the shortcoming of certain member states in dealing with large influxes of asylum seekers.

The new relocation system will still be run on a voluntary basis as envisaged by the EU Treaty.