A centre-right EPP political party congress will be held in Malta between Wednesday and Friday. The meeting is also likely to tackle immigration.

EU Commissioners Borg, Frattini and Barrot are understood to be attending along with all the party’s MEPs.

On the specific issue of migration, Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Maltese, Libyan and UN officials will brief MEPs on the civil liberties committee and the annual summer tragedy of African migrants who drown trying to cross the Atlantic or Mediterranean to Europe.