EU-MALTA Joint Parliamentary Committee

The EU-Malta Joint Parliamentary Committee held its 10th meeting in Strasbourg on 1-2 April 1998 under the joint chairmanship of its co-chairmen Mr. Dominique Saint-Pierre (FR - ARE) and Mr. Lino Spiteri (Maltese Labour Party).

The main subject of the JPC meeting was to discuss the communication from the Commission to the Council on the future relations between the European Union and Malta.

Mr. George W. Vella, Malta's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. John de Fonblanque and Ambassador Graham Archer, British High Commissioner to Malta, representing the Presidency-in-Office of the Council, and Mr. Giorgio Boggio, Head of the Commission's Delegation to Malta, addressed the meeting.

Dr. Vella outlined his government's policy to seek to have the closest possible relationship with the European union by establishing a free trade area with the EU.

The JPC also discussed the cultural, educational, research and development exchanges with the EU, the co-operation EU-Malta on policies concerning immigration and the fight against terrorism and drugs trafficking as well as the Mediterranean policy of the EU and the Euro-Med process.

The JPC would very closely follow the forthcoming negotiations on the establishment of a free trade area between the EU and Malta as a European third country including the proposal for a 3 years transition period.

The next meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee is scheduled to take place in October 1998 in Valletta.