A delegation of MEPs led by Simon Busuttil will visit Tunisian refugee camps on the border with Libya where many fleeing migrants are staying.

The visit will take place at the end of this month and will be the first of its kind since the start of the Libyan conflict.

The delegation will take a look at camps of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the border villages of Choucha and Ramada and the refugee camp set up by Qatar in Tataouine. The MEPs will discuss the situation at the camp with UNHCR field workers, border authorities and people who escaped from Libya.

They will also visit the main point of departure of migrants from Tunisia into Europe and will meet key government ministers in the Tunisian administration.

In the past weeks, the EU has allocated some €100 million to help border regions in Tunisia cope with migration pressures. Malta contributed by sponsoring Air Malta flights to take people fleeing from the conflict, particularly sub-Saharan Africans, back to their countries.

Dr Busuttil said: “Our visit will help us witness firsthand what the EU is doing and what can be done better. As a Maltese MEP I am honoured to be leading this mission on this important task.”

Dr Busuttil, who is the European People’s Party coordinator for the Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, was unanimously elected by MEPs to serve as the head of the delegation during a first preparatory meeting held in Strasbourg recently.

The visit is set to take place at the end of June, however, owing to the evolving security situation in Libya, the dates may be reviewed.