Government to hold citizenship talks with EU Commissioner Reding - Parliament debates EP resolution

The government will have talks in the coming days with the European Union's Commissioner responsible for citizenship, Viviane Reding, the prime minister said in Parliament this evening. Speaking in an emergency debate, he said the government did not automatically bow its head to whatever a commissioner said, but held talks with them on an equal footing. Referring to Ms Reding's critical comments about Malta last week, Dr Muscat said the government had been informed that the European Commission's official position was the one outlined by Commissioner Reding in the European Parliament, rather than the comments given to journalists and which the Opposition quoted. Dr Muscat also insisted that the government would stick to the citizenship scheme in the interests of the Maltese people. The remarks were made at the end of an emergency debate requested by Dr Muscat as soon as the parliamentary sitting started.  He said the debate was being requested because the EP resolution was grossly unfair to this country. The Prime Minister's request came after Opposition leader Simon Busuttil yesterday himself said he would request an emergency debate on the citizenship scheme today. By making...