Mur Lura

SPEECH BY THE HON. JOE BORG, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE EXCHANGE OF NEW YEAR GREETINGS WITH THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

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12/01/2001

It gives me great pleasure to be here today on this	historic occasion when for the first time, Ambassadors accredited both to, and from, Malta are gathered here for the Exchange of New Year's Greetings. On previous occasions such as this, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has generally only met with those Ambassadors accredited to Malta. However, as most of you know, we have just held a meeting of our own Ambassadors over the last three days and have therefore taken advantage of this opportunity this year, to have you all gathered together on this occasion.
I would like to take a few minutes now to give a	brief overview of developments underway within the Ministry, both with respect to our foreign policy goals and our plans for the years ahead, and to developments underway within the Ministry which we trust will serve to improve our output and performance in connection with these goals.
Pursuit of membership of the European Union in the	next enlargement again constitutes Malta's primary foreign policy objective during the year ahead. Government has been resoundingly clear that it is its intention for Malta to be included in the next enlargement of the Union. Within this over-riding goal, it is Government's immediate aim to catch up with the ‘Luxembourg' Group and to thus be well-positioned for the first enlargement when a date for this is finally decided.
We have already achieved significant progress in	our work towards accession of the European Union. In the last two years we have made huge strides forward in our preparations for membership. In January last year Malta completed the screening process in record time, paving the way for the opening of negotiations on seventeen chapters of the European Union's acquis, and the closure of twelve of them. It is our intention to open all the remaining chapters under the Swedish Presidency in the first half of this year, and to close as many of these as possible.
It is also our intention to complete all	negotiations as early as possible in 2002 in line with the Commission's enlargement strategy paper endorsed in Nice. During these negotiations Malta will seek to obtain the necessary transitional periods and special arrangements to ensure that the final negotiated package is the most advantageous possible.
1 January 2003 is the working deadline that Malta,	along with other candidate countries, has determined will be the point at which Malta will have completed its preparations for membership. These preparations are well underway: Parliament is working hard to legislate changes to existing laws that we feel may be enhanced through adherence with the norms and standards of the EU, while administrative capacity is being strengthened at all levels of government; Our social partners are also busy with their own preparations for membership, and it has been one of the prime objectives during the process to involve them, hear their views, and make sure that their concerns are being addressed.
It is also rewarding to see the Malta-EU	Information Centre completing its first, very intensive year of operations, in no small way helping to achieve Government's aim that the public have access to objective information about every aspect of the European Union and Malta's progress towards accession.
These impressive results are the fruit of the	seriousness and thoroughness with which all sides are approaching the current accession negotiations. Throughout this period, Malta has been fortunate to enjoy a close relationship with both the Commission services and our own enlargement team - thanks in no small way to the Commission's previous delegate in Malta. We hope to further this progress through close contact with the Commission's new delegate who has recently taken up his post here.
We have also had close relations with the	individual member states, largely through the hard work of their representatives here in Malta. We have had a number of important visits whereby we had the opportunity to have very frank and invaluable discussions on Malta's progress towards accession.
I believe that I am justified in saying that the	experience we have had with the accession negotiations thus far has confirmed the earlier, positive indications about Malta's state of readiness for EU membership.
Another area of vital importance to us is the	Mediterranean, where we will continue to actively pursue the common interests of the region in all appropriate fora. We believe that we clearly have a significant role to play in this area, and intend to intensify our work to promote the well-being of this region.
To do this we intend to strengthen our active	participation in the various regional initiatives that are currently underway, including the EuroMediterranean partnership, the Med Forum and in a few weeks time in the revival of the 5+5 Dialogue. We do this both through our participation at international meetings and through our involvement in regional programmes on energy, transport, youth and the information society, to name but a few.
We do however believe that there is much more that	we can be doing and have taken it upon ourselves to develop new forms of co-operation with our Mediterranean partners. Amongst these we shall work towards the conclusion of free trade agreements with states lining the North African shore. Additionally we plan to construct different modes of co-operation particularly with those Mediterranean states having representation in Malta.
Furthermore we are eligible for certain funding	under the MEDA regional funds which are specifically geared towards thematic co-operation between 2 European and 2 Mediterranean partners, in fields such as transport, energy, parliamentary dialogue and the environment. Action under this banner has already commenced through a number of conferences and training sessions organised in Malta. At a parliamentary level we also hope to pursue the CSCM process within the IPU and are actively engaged in the setting up of a Parliamentary Assembly of Mediterranean states within the IPU.
Having the best possible Bilateral relations with	third countries is another of the foreign policy goals towards which our Ministry is channeling its resources. Strong relations with key players in each region are particularly important in Malta's case since for logistical and cost reasons, we tend to have embassies responsible not just for relations with the host country but for a number of countries within a particular region.
Co-operation may take several different forms	through the conclusion of certain crucial bilateral agreements in addition to the promotion of youth, cultural, trade and other exchanges. Our priority for the coming years will be the conclusion of agreements on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, Investment Guarantees and the Fight against Organised Crime. It is our intention to continue to widen these networks we have created with other countries.
We also hope to focus our efforts on increasing	co-operation with a view to broadening opportunities for our students, professionals and youth in the pursuit of further education, as well as to facilitate the creation of trade links with other states. During the Ambassadors' Meeting over the last few days this was very much a part of our discussions. I should mention that the bilateral co-operation during the course of the past year has been an important element in our efforts to strengthen government's administrative capacity on the road to European Union membership. This form of co-operation is an essential part of the legislative measures and administrative capacity-building underway in connection with our preparations for EU membership, and we hope that it will continue, and intensify in the coming year.
What is particularly encouraging from our point of	view, as we move ever deeper into the accession process, is the growing confirmation of the fundamental convergence that exists between this process and our own national development process. It is this convergence which underpins the strength and vitality of our candidature.
The significant number of bilateral visits, both	inward and outward, that have taken place over the past year, and that are scheduled for the year ahead, illustrate the usefulness of such one-to-one contacts in deepening ties and consolidating a wide network of partners.
Over the past year Malta has continued to enjoy	very warm relations with neighbouring states and third countries, both where sizeable Maltese communities are based and otherwise. Maintaining links with Maltese communities overseas has always been a priority of our foreign policy. In fact this time last year, a Convention on Leaders of Associations of Maltese Abroad and of Maltese Origin was held in Malta as a tangible manifestation of the deep-rooted ties we still hold with our communities in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom amongst others.
Our focus is not however limited to purely	bilateral relations. It is a priority for Malta also to ensure effective participation in multilateral fora in keeping with the role Malta has traditionally played thus far. We believe that we have a significant contribution to make bearing in mind the constraints imposed on us all in terms of size and resources. Malta clearly cannot be everywhere at all times, if for no other reason than because of our size, and the limit this imposes on our human and financial resources.
Within these constraints, we do however intend to	continue our participation in multilateral organisations, also in the context of fielding candidates for certain institutions where we believe we have a contribution to make. In this regard, I would like to request your support for the candidature of Justice Lino Agius, our candidate for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Malta this year has however formed part of the High	Level Review Group of the Commonwealth and has participated actively in both the OSCE and the Council of Europe. Through such participation we hope to bring concrete and tangible benefits to Malta through technical assistance, training and support.
The way forward for us to truly achieve these	objectives within our foreign policy will involve the consolidation of the above goals within a broad context. A context in which every part of the whole contributes to the progress and the prosperity of the country. I trust that your untiring efforts will also continue in this respect to assist us in the pursuit of our goals.
Despite the fact that a large part of my attention	is necessarily focused on issues beyond the shores of Malta, much work has gone into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself. Late last year, a review of our operations and indeed even our raison d'etre was launched, the findings of which have now been discussed with Ministry staff and the various department heads. A new structure for our Ministry, aimed at assisting us to achieve the goals we set ourselves at the beginning of this millenium, is currently being implemented. A review of all missions overseas is also planned for the coming year.
Altogether we have a very full plate of activities	ranging from preparations for membership of the European Union to ensuring that our own house is in order. Those in themselves pretty much keep our hands at the Ministry full. It is however, a job that we would not be able to do as well, were it not for the support of all of you here present. I would therefore like to thank you for all your support. I augur that these relations will be further strengthened.

Thank you all for being here today.

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