The Nationalist Party has approved lawyer Peter Agius as a candidate for next year's European Parliament election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said Agius now joins MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa who are considered automatic candidates since they already serve as members of the EU parliament.

Agius, 43, works in Brussels as a lawyer and European law negotiator and previously headed the Office of the EU parliament in Malta and served in the cabinet of former EU parliament president Antonio Tajani.

He was also the PN's spokesperson before last year's general election.

Speaking to Times of Malta on Tuesday, Agius vowed to be a new energy working for Maltese interests in Europe if elected next year.

‘It will soon be 20 years since we joined the EU. The Union has changed dramatically since then. It is now time to renew our collective ambition to make the best of EU membership," he said.

"We must do better in attracting EU opportunities to Malta and ensuring that these reach all sectors of society. We must also see to a more efficient representation of Maltese needs in EU decision making which is all too often shaped on different needs other than those pertaining to Maltese workers and businesses."

He said EU regulations are often molded without an island dimension, putting Malta at a disadvantage.

Agius ran for the 2019 MEP elections, but his almost 11,000 first-count votes were not enough to get him elected.

The Nationalist Party elected two MEPs in the last election but some fear that disenchantment among PN supporters might lead to a low voter turnout next year and the party risks losing another seat.

It is considered crucial for the PN to retain the second seat and preferably elect a third. The PN's performance in next year's MEP election is likely to be a key indicator for the future of leader Bernard Grech.