The European Commission has rejected accusations levelled by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, insisting it is doing a lot to help member states fight illegal immigration.
Mr Frattini criticised the EU on Sunday saying the block was doing nothing to help Italy, Malta and other southern member states to face the immigration problem. His comments came after 73 illegal immigrants were alleged to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Lampedusa on a dinghy together.
"The EU is completely absent and we need other member states to share the burden," charged Mr Frattini, who until two years ago was the EU's Commissioner for Immigration, during a public meeting in Rimini.
However, a European Commission spokesman downplayed Mr Frattini's criticism saying the EU had been working to help member states for a very long time.
"The EU and the Commission are doing a great deal," spokesman Dennis Abbot said.
He said the Commission was working with great determination with member states and neighbouring countries and Vice-President Jacques Barrot had visited Lampedusa, Malta, Greece and the Canary Islands to discuss the situation in detail. In autumn he was also planning to visit Turkey and Libya, he added.
"Commissioner Barrot has said many times that we must find ways to better share the burden at European level and this is what he is planning to achieve," he insisted.
The Swedish EU Presidency has also intervened in the issue saying it hoped member states would come to some agreement on a burden-sharing proposal to be tabled in October.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country is chairing the EU, hopes all member states would achieve progress on the concrete proposal.
"This proposal will be discussed during the forthcoming meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in October. I hope member states will all be on board to move forward."
EU sources confirmed the Commission was planning to table a formal proposal on a first intra-EU resettlement programme specifically designed for Malta's needs.
Mr Barrot had promised Malta this programme during a meeting of EU Justice Ministers before the summer. It aims to invite member states to take a number of asylum seekers from Malta and resettle them in their country.
This programme, which requires the agreement of all 27 member states, will start off as a pilot project. However, the Commission's intention is for it to become permanent.
This programme, together with other burden-sharing initiatives, including the possibility of having UNHCR-led reception centres in Libya and a stronger presence of Frontex patrols in the Mediterranean, will be on the agenda in October.