| 13 January 2010 The Council agreed that Valetta, the capital of Malta, should accommodate the headquarters of the forthcoming European Asylum Support Bureau, which is expected to be operational in spring 2010. Political agreement on the Bureau, the task of which will be to assist member states in handling asylum requests, was recently reached in an informal trialogue between the Council and the European Parliament. MEPs won the right to give their opinion on the nomination by member states of the Bureau director. The director will also have to report annually on the Bureau's activities to the EP.
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