Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning reiterated that Malta was ready to use its veto in the European Union unless its demands over the issue of irregular migration were met.

Answering questions during a visit to the Malta Financial Services Authority this morning, Dr Muscat also warned that Malta would adopt a push back policy if necessary.

He said that as Malta had showed solidarity on the Greek bailout forking out a sum of money to the tune of three per cent of its gross domestic product, likewise, it expected solidarity on this matter.

Asked whether he was worried that Malta would be sidelined because of the government’s actions, Dr Muscat said he was not. “We have already been sidelined,” he said.

Asked about Commissioner’s Cecilia Malmstrom’s reported claim that Malta’s migrant arrivals were not in such large numbers, Dr Muscat said that if this was what the Commissioner believed, Malta could always pass the immigrants on to Sweden.