The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, will be addressing Parliament when he visits Malta on 8 December.  

Mr Schulz will be accompanied by members of the Conference of Presidents, which includes the chairmen of the political groups in the European Parliament.

Last week he announced that he will not seek a third term at the helm of the EP and will instead go into German politics, where he could become the main opponent to Chancellor Angela Merkel in next year's elections.

The SPD Socialist made the impromptu statement at the EU legislature. He has been European Parliament President since 2012 and said that deciding against seeking a third term, "didn't come easy."

Schulz said his commitment to the European project is unwavering. “From now on I will be fighting for this project from the national level, but my values do not change," he said.

In Germany, Schulz's SPD is currently a junior partner in the coalition led by Merkel, who announced last week she would seek a fourth term as chancellor.