Mur Lura
STATEMENT BY MR RICHARD CACHIA CARUANA, CHAIRMAN, CORE NEGOTIATING GROUP AT THE EIGHTH MEETING OF THE ACCESSION CONFERENCE HELD IN BRUSSELS, 26 OCTOBER 2001
pr1579
26/10/2001
26/10/2001
| We note with appreciation the strong commitment of the Belgian | Presidency towards the enlargement process and its efforts to maintain and wherever possible enhance the pace of the accession negotiations. This commitment is particularly underlined in the fact that in spite of the heavy demands on the attention of the Presidency following the events of the 11 September, the enlargement process has remained on track. |
| The two chapters on our agenda today - Transport Policy and the Free | Movement of Capital - have been under discussion for some time. Both of them touch upon areas of particular importance and sensitivity for Malta and for the Union. |
| Malta is the second of the ten candidate countries to provisionally | close the Transport chapter. It is another instance where the principle of differentiation is allowing a candidate that commenced its negotiations at a later date to catch-up. |
| Since it has no rail or inland waterway system, Malta is totally | dependent on its road transport network. This, of course, has made the negotiations on the rest of the land transport acquis relatively easy. |
| In the field of road transport, where Malta has a long tradition of | strong private sector involvement, we are already well placed to be in full harmony with the road transport acquis upon accession. There are, however, some technical issues on which we requested transition periods. |
| These consist of a transitional period of three years for the | retrofitting of speed limitation devices, a transitional period of two years for the obligatory roadworthiness testing of Vehicle Suspension and General Conditions of the Vehicle, a transitional period of three years for the harmonisation of road taxes on Maltese registered heavy goods vehicles operating exclusively on domestic territory, and a transition period of two years for the harmonisation of road taxes on Maltese registered heavy goods vehicles that operate internationally. |
| We are pleased that agreement on these transition periods was reached | without much difficulty. |
| As far as Malta’s administrative infrastructure in this area is | concerned, we would like to highlight the fact that the Malta Transport Authority has already been set up and will reach full capacity by the fourth quarter of 2001. There are also thirty-seven privately owned testing stations, with a total of forty test lanes authorised to conduct roadworthiness tests. |
| In the field of maritime transport we are aware of the concerns that | exist within Member States and the EU institutions, especially on issues of maritime safety. We share these concerns. In this regard, Malta will continue to work to improve the safety standards of ships flying its flag with the objective of the removal of the Malta Flag from the black list of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding. Malta will also continue to cooperate closely with the EU in the International Maritime Organisation. |
| With the cooperation of the Commission, Malta’s Ministry for | Transport and Communications and the Malta Maritime Authority, have drawn up a Maritime Transport Action Plan for 2001 – 2002 which provides, among other things, for a comprehensive legislative programme, a significant strengthening of the capacity of the Malta Maritime Authority and a detailed list of other measures to enhance maritime safety standards. |
| In the field of air transport, Malta confirms that it will adopt and | implement the acquis in this area upon accession. The Department of Civil Aviation within the Ministry of Transport and Communications is being strengthened and will reach full capacity by the first quarter of 2002. |
| Malta has been a member of the International Civil Aviation | Organisation (ICAO) since 1964, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) since 1978, the Eurocontrol Organisation since 1990 and the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) since 1999. The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America has classified Malta in category one under its International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme. |
| We believe that the participation of Malta in the Third Package of | Air Transport Liberalisation will provide new opportunities of market access to Air Malta as well as a better service to persons travelling between Malta and the EU. |
| In the field of horizontal transport issues, Malta is currently | carrying out its Transport Infrastructure Needs Assessment and intends to consult with the Commission on the outcome of this study by the end of this year. |
| The Free Movement of Capital chapter constitutes one of the main | pillars of the internal market. It is the only chapter relating to the basic freedoms that we still have under discussion. As the documents before us today indicate, except for one item, agreement has been reached on all the main issues falling under the chapter - covering aspects dealing with capital movement, payments systems, direct investment and money laundering. This has been done without any request for any special arrangement on our part. |
| Events of the last few weeks have drawn major attention to questions | relating to money laundering. In the discussions we have had over the last months Malta has shown that it already has a high level of preparedness in this area, both in terms of the legislation as well as in terms of the administrative structures and procedures which have been in place for some time. The additional measures we are taking, and in particular the establishment of the Financial Intelligence Unit which should become operational very soon, will further strengthen our capacity and readiness to take our part in the global effort against financial crimes, as a partner in the Union. |
| The one issue which requires further discussions relates to the | acquisition of property. From the outset of our accession negotiations, we identified second residences as an area on which we would be seeking a special arrangement. We have identified the main aspects and explained the reasons why the issues we are concerned with are not of a transitory nature. In particular, we explained the necessity of a solution that will mitigate the difficult situation regarding land use in Malta, which as we all know arises from the size of the country, the density of population and the social effects that a substantial increase in demand for property would cause. |
| We are encouraged by the response given in the Common Position before | us today where the Union lists the main conditions under which an arrangement should be framed. In the coming days we will be in close consultations with the Commission and member states on this matter. |
| Throughout the negotiations on all chapters our clear aim has been to | seek solutions even to the most difficult and complex of problems, within the framework and in broad conformity with the acquis. We believe that this is also possible with regard to the issue of acquisition of property. |
| At this stage we now have 11 more chapters to deal with. It stands to | reason that these eleven outstanding chapters include some of the most complex issues of the negotiations, from the point of view of both Malta and of the Union. One encouraging point, at this stage, lies in the fact that most of the main issues have been clearly identified. These issues are limited in number and on some of them the technical consultations are already at an advanced stage. |
| Our objective remains to solve as many of these issues as possible at | the technical level. At the same time we remain constantly aware that the accession negotiations are fundamentally a political exercise. It is reasonable to anticipate that there will be a few, but important, cases where the political dimension will need to play a part in the search for satisfactory solutions. |
| We remain confident that the political will to achieve the | enlargement objectives as stated in Nice and again in Gothenburg remains steadfast and on course. Seen from the present standpoint, the objective of completing the negotiations during the course of next year appears fully achievable. From our side we remain determined to complete the necessary work in this regard. |
| I would like to take this opportunity once more to express our | appreciation of the support and cooperation we continue to receive from all concerned - the Presidency, our partners in the member states, the Council secretariat, the Commission services and in particular the Malta Team in DG Enlargement. |
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