SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE HON. MICHAEL REFALO, MINISTER FOR TOURISM, FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE "ENGLISH FOR LAWYERS" COURSE FOR ITALIAN LAWYERS, AT THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Signor Presidente della facolta' di giurisprudenza

Egregi Colleghe e Collegi

Buon giorno, ed a tutti un cordialissimo benvenuto. Dato che ho davanti a me un'udienza italiana era doveroso darvi il benvenuto nella vostra lingua; comunque siccome la vostra visita a Malta ha obiettivo il perfezionamento della vostra conoscenza della lingua inglese, proseguo col mio discorso augurale in quella lingua.

As Minister for Tourism and, as a former and currently locum, Minister of Justice, I have a dual official interest in your presence in Malta. As one who practised law for many years I also have a personal interest in meeting you and in exchanging views about the challenges faced by our respective courts of justice and legal systems.

Links with your country go back a long time, even before 1848, indeed to the times of the Roman Empire, when Malta enjoyed a special status. Already by that time the legal profession had taken up the defence of citizens and gave them protection against the wrongdoings of the ruling class. The most celebrated case recorded in our history is the prosecution of the Roman governor of Malta Caius Verres by none other than Cicero, on a charge of theft and misappropriation of precious objects from the temple of Juno.

It was also during Roman rule that the Apostle Paul, on his way to Rome for trial was shipwrecked off Malta. I sometimes refer to St. Paul as having been one of our first recorded long stay visitors. The other notable personality is of course Ulysses who reputedly spent seven years on Gozo courting or succumbing to the charms of the nymph Calypso. While nowadays visitors to Malta such as you come to us by choice it was misadventure or destiny which brought St. Paul and Ulysses to our islands. These two gentlemen were among the first recipients of traditional Maltese hospitality and, to reciprocate, Ulysses gave us a mention in the ancient world's first adventure travelogue while St. Paul preached to the islanders and converted them to Christianity.

A thousand years later, Roger of Normandy conquered both Sicily and Malta and annexed Malta to Sicily. Later Malta came under the sway of the kingdom of the two Sicilies. In 1530 Malta was ceded to the Knights of the Order of St. John who remained here for over 230 years and used Italian as their language of administration.

It is not surprising therefore that from the early middle ages onwards the Italian language from the early middle ages onwards was widely used in Malta. Records, including contracts, were drawn up in Italian and this makes Malta a repository and an ideal venue for Italian researchers into legal and historical documents.

In the early years of the 20^th century Italian was the language of the upper and professional classes as well as of the courts. Laws were written in Italian as were all proceedings in the courts, this to the obvious detriment of those who could not speak the language and could not therefore follow what was said either on their behalf or against them.

Malta gained independence in 1964 but prior to that, ever since 1802, Malta was part of the British Empire. The use of Italian, rather than English, was a sore point with the Colonial Authorities who in the 1930's campaigned to replace Italian by English and used the Maltese language as a lever. As the saying goes, "Fra due litiganti il terzo gode" – and thankfully the outcome of this dispute was that the Maltese language emerged as the winner. Since Independence, English alongside Maltese, has attained the status of an official language.

In the period between the departure from Malta of the Order of St. John and the arrival of the British, Malta spent two years under French rule. During his six days in Malta Napoleon completely revolutionised the island's administrative and legal system and to this very day the Napoleonic code forms the broad base of our civil law. However, the 160 year long British presence has resulted in the absorbtion of considerable English influence. Italy's proximity and legal affinity has also had an effect on our jurisprudence.

One of the more important legacies bequeathed by the British presence in Malta is the widespread knowledge of the English language. English is taught in our schools from the very first years and by the time our students reach university level they would have had at least twelve years of tuition. Most lessons at Secondary level and practically all lectures at University are given in English.

After London, Malta is Europe's second largest centre for the teaching of English. Throughout the year, mainly in summer close to 40,000 students from all over Europe descend upon Malta to learn English. Courses offered range from an introduction to the English language for youngsters to advanced English for specific, professional and business requirements as is the case with your group. There are over 40 specialised schools engaged in the teaching of English, besides of course, the island's highest seat of learning, the University of Malta.

I trust that this occasion will provide you with the opportunity to familiarise yourself better with English legal terminology but equally importantly, the opportunity for legal practitioners from Italy and Malta to establish linkages which can develop further worthwhile synergies and initiatives and augur well for the future. Your presence here is eloquent confirmation of the commitment of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense to establish such strong links with your counterparts in Malta. I am sure that you will find your efforts and commitment fully reciprocated.

Thank you very much. I wish you a pleasant stay and a successful course.