Dr Busuttil was appointed to serve in the Maghreb delegation, which includes Libya, and in the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

Mr Casa was appointed as a member in the Bulgaria delegation and a substitute

member in the delegation for Turkey. Both Bulgaria and Turkey are candidates for EU

membership.

During its plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted this morning to set up 27 delegations with non-EU countries and groups of countries.

Both Dr Busuttil and Mr Casa express

satisfaction at these appointments since the countries involved were of strategic importance for Malta, being neighbours to the south and to the east of our country. The MEPs said that they had specifically requested to participate in these delegations in order to have the opportunity to bring Malta’s contribution to the Euro-Mediterranean dimension of the European Union.