IC-CHAIRMAN TAL-GRUPP EWLIENI TAN-NEGOZJATURI TA? MALTA JINDIRIZZA LILL-KUMITAT GHALL-AFFARIJIET BARRANIN TAL-PARLAMENT EWROPEW

Is-Sur Richard Cachia Caruana, Chairman tal-Grupp Ewlieni tan-Negozjaturi ta' Malta l-bierah wara nofs inhar indirizza lill-Kumitat ghall-Affarijiet Barranin tal-Parlament Ewropew.

Fid-diskors tieghu, is-Sur Cachia Caruana ta rendikont sew tar-relazzjonijiet twal li jezistu bejn Malta u l-Unjoni Ewropea kif ukoll il-progress li qieghda taghmel Malta fin-negozjati ghas-shubija. Fl-erbatax-il xahar minn mindu infethu n-negozjati, fakkar is-Sur Cachia Caruana, Malta fethet wiehed u ghoxrin qasam tan-negozjati u ghalqet tlettax minnhom. Huwa sahaq illi Malta ser tkun tista' taghlaq l-oqsma kollha matul l-ewwel nofs tas-sena d-diehla u tkun lesta ghas-shubija sa' l-ahhar ta' 2002.

Is-Sur Cachia Caruana fisser illi filwaqt li n-negozjati huma ezercizzju tekniku, dawn jizvolgu f'kuntest politiku aktar wiesa'. Huwa semma li l-Gvern qieghed jinnegozja certi suggetti li ghandhom impatt fuq il-gid socjali u ekonomiku ta' Malta u huwa ghalhekk illi qieghdin jintalbu xi arrangamenti specjali. Dawn it-talbiet, li huma ftit fin-numru, m'ghandomx joholqu problemi insormontabbli fil-pajjizi membri ta' l-Unjoni.

Id-diskors tas-Sur Cachia Caruana huwa mehmuz ma' din l-istqarrija.

Tkellem ukoll is-sur Arhi Palosuo, il-kap tat-Team ta' Malta fid-Direttorat Generali ghat-Tkabbir tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea. Huwa qal illi l-progress ta' Malta f'dawn l-ahhar erbatax-il xahar huwa impressjonanti. Is-Sur Palosuo qal li Malta wriet li kapaci tilhaq lil dawk il-pajjizi li bdew jinnegozjaw sentejn qabel Malta u, bhala ezempju, semma li Malta qieghda biss zewg oqsma wara l-Polonja.

Is-Sur Palosuo sahaq illi l-politika ekonomika tal-Gvern Malti tidher illi bdiet thalli il-frott: id-deficit finanzjarju u l-qaghad qieghdin jonqsu. Qal li qasam fejn sar hafna progress huwa dak tal-Gustizzja u l-Intern filwaqt illi wiehed mill-oqsma fejn sar l-izjed progress huwa dak ta' l-istatistika. Filwaqt illi sa recentement il-Kummissjoni ma setghetx tqabbel l-istatistika taghha ma' dik ta' Malta, issa dan huwa possibli. Huwa kkonferma illi l-Prodott Gross Domestiku (GDP) ta' Malta abbazi tal-Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) huwa ta' 52% tal-medja tal-Unjoni Ewropea u li dan ifisser li Malta ghandha tibbenefika mill-Fondi Strutturali u ta' Koezjoni tal-Unjoni. Is-Sur Palosuo ghalaq id-diskors tieghu billi esprima l-fiducja tieghu li sa' l-ahhar ta' din is-sena, Malta tkompli bil-progress li qeda taghmel, taghlaq aktar oqsma difficili u jintlahaq qbil fuq punti li ghad iridu jigu rizolti.

Ir-Rapporteur ta' Malta f'dan il-Kumitat, is-Sinjura Ursula Stenzel, qablet mal-kummenti tas-Sur Palosuo. Hija qalet illi l-Unjoni Ewropea ghandha tifhem u tilqa' t-talbiet li qieghda taghmel Malta. Is-Sinjura Stenzel ziedet illi bhala membru futur tal-Unjoni Ewropea, Malta ggib maghha dimensjoni Mediterranja krucjali.

Matul id-dibattitu li segwa, kien hemm numru ta' mistoqsijiet minn xi membri tal-Kumitat. Fost is-suggetti li ssemmew kien hemm l-ambjent, l-agrikoltura, l-istudji ikkummissjonati mill-Gvern Malti, il-hasil ta' flus kif ukoll il-qasma politika f'Malta fuq l-ishubija fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Fl-intervent tal-gheluq tieghu, is-Sur Cachia Caruana wiegeb illi diversi ligijiet qieghdin jew ghandhom jigu diskussi fil-Parlament Malti. Fost dawn semma ligijiet fuq l-ambjent u xi emendi fuq il-ligijiet fuq il-hasil ta' flus. Huwa fisser illi il-process intern Malti ghan-negozjati huwa mfassal b'mod illi jinkludi l-imsiehba socjali kollha, kif ukoll dawk kollha li jintlaqtu b' xi mod b'dak li jkun qed jigi diskuss. Fuq il-qasma politika f'Malta fuq l-ishubija, is-Sur Cachia Caruana qal li l-Gvern huwa kommess li jaghmel referendum wara li jigu konkluzi n-negozjati.

Is-Sur Cachia Caruana kien akkumpanjat mill-Ambaxxatur ta' Malta fi Brussel, Victor Camilleri, minn Colin Scicluna, Ko-ordinatur fis-Segretarjat tan-Negozjati mal-UE u minn numru ta' ufficjali ohra mill-Ambaxxata ta' Malta fi Brussel.

STATEMENT BY MR RICHARD CACHIA CARUANA, CHAIRMAN, CORE NEGOTIATING GROUP, AT THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HUMAN RIGHTS, COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BRUSSELS, 24 APRIL 2001

It is an honour and a pleasure for me to be here today to discuss the progress Malta is making as it moves towards membership of the European Union.

The European Parliament is certainly very much involved in the enlargement process in its broader and most significant dimensions. As a candidate country, Malta appreciates the keen interest and active support with which the European Parliament undertakes its role in this regard.

This occasion provides a welcome opportunity for us to look beyond the details of the accession negotiations and to recapitulate the deeper political, social and economic aspects of Malta's quest for EU membership.

In order to gain some insight into the Maltese view on the ongoing EU enlargement process and Malta's place in this process, it is useful to first look into the nature of its long-standing relationship with the European Community.

Endowed with a firm sense of national identity, a mature political and administrative tradition rooted in the notions of democracy and the rule of law and a strong grasp of the Mediterranean dimension of European security, Malta was well prepared to take an active part in Europe's institutions on achieving Independence in 1964.

Membership of the Council of Europe was one of the earliest acts of its foreign policy. In the same spirit, over the last three decades Malta has been an active participant first in the CSCE and later in the OSCE. It has also been one of the foremost promoters of, and participants in, various initiatives towards Euro Mediterranean co-operation.

In 1970, a full thirty years ago, Malta entered into an Association Agreement with the European Community. This Agreement, primarily consisting of reciprocal though unequal tariff concessions, had as an immediate objective the complementing and reinforcing of the significant trade relationship which already existed between Malta and the Community.

The Association Agreement has served Malta well. It has led to the establishment of strong links with the European Union, a linkage prevalent in various sectors of the Maltese economy, mainly trade, foreign investment and tourism. The Union is also the principal destination of Maltese savings abroad, as well as of Maltese travelling abroad. A quick look at Malta's trade statistics confirms that the Union has throughout these years retained its position as Malta's major source of imports and its principal market for exports. In 1999, imports from the Union represented over 65 per cent of all imports. In the same year exports to the Union accounted for 50 per cent of domestic exports. More than 70 per cent of tourists visiting Malta come from the European Union.

The longer term objective of the Association Agreement was that of establishing a Customs Union between Malta and the Community. Over the years, however, this objective was superceded by Malta's objective of becoming a member of the European Union.

Following the adoption in 1986 of the Single European Act, Malta was one of the first countries to seek a political dialogue with the Community. The strong relationship between Malta and the European Parliament, which continues to exist today particularly through the Joint Parliamentary Committee, was one of the offshoots of this early initiative.

In 1987, a government deeply committed to membership of the European Union was emphatically elected to power. Malta submitted its application for membership in July 1990.

The Commission produced its opinion on Malta's application during the summer of 1993. While positive in its essential thrust, this opinion conditioned the start of accession negotiations to the completion of a set of further economic reforms.

As you are aware, Malta's membership application was suspended for 22 months between 1996 and 1998. Within a few months of the reactivation of its membership application, however, Malta had joined the other eleven candidates in the detailed screening of its legislation on the basis of the Union's acquis. An enhanced form of political dialogue with the Union was also established. The Helsinki Council, in December 1999, opened the way for the start of accession negotiations, which were formally launched in February 2000.

Since then, in a period of little more than a year, Malta has submitted Negotiation Position Papers on 28 of the 29 substantive Chapters, formally opening negotiations on 21 of them. Thirteen of these have been provisionally closed.

These are Company Law, Economic and Monetary Union, Statistics, Industrial Policy, Small and Medium-Sized Undertakings, Science and Research, Education and Training, Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Culture and Audiovisual Policy, Consumers and Health Protection, External Relations, Common Foreign and Security Policy and Financial Control.

The Chapters on which negotiations are still under way concern Free Movement of Services, Free Movement of Capital, Competition, Fisheries, Transport Policy, Social Policy and Employment, Regional Policy and Co-ordination of Structural Instruments as well as Financial and Budgetary Provisions.

In the coming months, we expect to open negotiations on the remaining chapters which are Free Movement of Goods, Free Movement of Persons, Agriculture, Taxation, Energy, Environment, Justice and Home Affairs and Customs Union.

We expect to keep up the momentum of the past twelve months and are confident that we can conclude all our negotiations during the first part of next year and be ready for membership by the end of 2002.

It is against this background that I would like to say a few words on Malta's views on the nature of the European Union in general and the current state of the accession negotiations in particular.

The Maltese share with other European peoples an unequivocal sense and appreciation of the fundamentally political nature and objective of the European process. They recognise the historical roots of this process. They understand and welcome the fact that the functional and pragmatic manner in which European co-operation has developed over the last half century is based on far-reaching underlying objectives touching upon the destiny of the whole continent.

The Maltese application for membership is rooted in this understanding of the nature of the European Union. We recognise that we are not simply seeking membership in just another regional or international organisation, but are seeking to take part in a process which will form an integral part of our future.

It is in the light of this understanding that we consider that enlargement is the essential way forward as much for candidate countries as it is for the Union. A candidate country evidently needs to develop and change as it moves towards membership. Development and change are, in any case, inevitable aspects of being and remaining a nation. Through the act of membership, a candidate country, despite any apparent limits of its size and resources, also brings its own direct contribution to the shaping of the Union.

This understanding inspires our view of the nature and time frame of the accession negotiations in which we are now engaged. At one level, these accession negotiations can be seen as a technical exercise of comparison and harmonisation. They touch upon a vast range of specific legislation and administrative structures. It is evident that this aspect requires its own time, application and attention.

Nevertheless we should not lose sight of the wider political nature of the European process, of which enlargement is an essential part. We believe that this dimension of enlargement has a direct bearing on the question of time frames. There is a point beyond which the technical discussions need to give way to the more over-riding political aspects of the process.

Malta can perhaps speak with some additional force in this regard, taking into account the now long and complex history of its application. Because of our particular experience we are highly sensitised to the finely-tuned relationship which exists between the technical and the political aspects of the whole European process, not least in its enlargement dimension. We have our own insight into the misunderstanding and discouragement which can arise when the more functional and technical aspects of the process are allowed to appear as its dominant elements.

We are also deeply aware of the need for continuing popular involvement and support in the process. It is in this spirit that we have devised special structures and procedures which provide objective information to the Maltese people on the European Union in general and the enlargement process in particular. These structures provide the social partners and other elements in Maltese society with the opportunity to take an active and formative part in the formulation and conduct of our accession negotiations.

In this same spirit we are following with interest the Commission's initiative on a Communication Strategy aimed at keeping the citizens of the European Union and of the candidate countries both informed about, as well as involved in, the enlargement process.

In terms of the current phase of enlargement, we strongly share the view that, by the end of 2002, all conditions must be set for the admission of those candidates who show themselves ready for membership. This position was formalised and given further substance in the decisions of the Nice Council, which cleared the way for the timely completion of the accession negotiations.

The negotiating strategy proposed by the Commission in November and subsequently endorsed by the member states has had the desired impact. One should also mention in this context the contribution being made by the dedication of the Commission services, the Council secretariat and the staff of the various EU presidencies. I would like in particular to express my appreciation of the role being played by the Malta Team in DG Enlargement, represented here today by its head Mr Arhi Palosuo.

For Malta, the key sensitive negotiating issues are few in number and certainly should not pose any insurmountable problem either of principle or of substance for Member States. Nevertheless for us they are important issues which relate to critical aspects of our social and economic well being.

These key issues include the establishment of safeguards against any sudden disruptive high inflow of workers into a very small working population; measures to maintain a minimum level of stability in the even smaller real estate market in Malta; the granting of a reasonable period during which we can complete our state aid programme for the restructuring of our shipyards; the identification of appropriate support measures to protect our small but vital agriculture sector; the maintenance of existing fisheries conservation practices around Malta; the maintenance of value added tax exempt status in a number of sensitive areas; and the provision of financial and other assistance for the infrastructural and other work related to the protection of our environment.

Consultations are underway with the Member States and the Commission services in order to identify satisfactory solutions for these issues. We are aware that the Union, on its part, would wish to discuss with us in some detail the question of maritime safety. As the fourth largest fleet register in the world, Malta recognises that it has a particular responsibility in this area which goes beyond the basic question of conformity with the acquis. Malta will take an active role in the promotion of measures to further enhance maritime safety.

Malta's basic objective is to be included in the next enlargement. We believe that this is a realistic objective both in terms of formal qualifications as well as in terms of our state of preparedness. As has been emphasised on numerous occasions, Malta fully satisfies all the Copenhagen political and economic criteria. Furthermore, the expeditious manner in which we completed the screening exercise and have subsequently progressed in the negotiations, highlights our state of preparedness.

Malta aspires to form part of this unique historical process aimed at entrenching peace, prosperity and co-operation within the European region and its neighbours. Malta will bring into the Union its deeply rooted democratic and humanistic traditions as well as its particular insight into and commitment towards co-operation at the Euro Mediterranean level.

In conclusion I wish to thank you, the direct representatives of the citizens of Europe, for the opportunity you have given me to share these thoughts with you. The encouragement and support which the European Parliament consistently shows towards Malta's endeavours for membership of the European Union is much appreciated.