Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday promised to make his party more proactive within the European Union and called on the government to implement EU directives with a more European spirit.

Dr Muscat visited the European Commission's Representative Office in Ta' Xbiex where he denounced the government's infringements of several environment-related standards.

Dr Muscat told Joanna Drake, the head of the European Commission Representation in Malta, that George Abela's participation in the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (Meusac) is proof of Labour's commitment to making a success of EU membership.

He said Malta needed to respect directives on car registration and the departure tax. On EU funding, Dr Muscat said that while there had been success in some areas, more space should be allowed for NGOs and private companies to reap the benefits of such funding.

Dr Drake said she looked forward to a closer partnership between the Commission and the MLP.

She congratulated Dr Abela on his appointment to Meusac, saying that more energy needed to be given to spreading a European message.