Mur Lura
ADDRESS BY THE HON EDWARD FENECH-ADAMI, PRIME MINISTER, "MALTA – EUROPE’S VIABLE PARTNER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN" AT NIEUWSPOORT, THE NETHERLANDS – THURSDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2001
pr1854
06/12/2001
06/12/2001
| The theme selected today, focusing as it does on the Euro-Med issue, | is one that is highly topical in view of the European Union’s impending enlargement to the east and to the south. As a result of this process, the dynamics of Europe’s relations with the Mediterranean are assuming an ever-increasing importance in the Union’s agenda. |
| As a European country located at the very centre of | the Mediterranean, Malta is uniquely placed to provide a valid and meaningful contribution to the positive development of these relations. |
| This role is rooted in Malta’s historical | experiences, where on several occasions we acted as a stalwart bastion for Europe, and as a vital port of call for ships, and later aircraft, seeking to cross the Mediterranean in times of war and for reasons of trade. At other times, Malta was also a gateway to Europe as the home of the young sons of the European nobility who, as Knights of the Order of St. John, served in Malta from 1530 to 1798. |
| The legacy of the Knights still exists today in the | beautiful palaces, gardens and aqueducts that grace and connect our towns. Vying with these architectural styles, are buildings erected under the Arab and Norman influences of previous centuries. However, possibly the strongest bequest of the Arabs, who ruled Malta between the ninth and eleventh centuries, is to be found in our national language, the structure of which is Semitic, yet which is uniquely written using Latin characters. |
| Our other official language, English, is the direct | legacy of the British Empire, of which Malta formed part for over one and a half centuries until we gained our independence in 1964. Britain’s influence, in addition to that of Italy - our immediate neighbour to the north – can also be seen in our judicial system, our Public Administration, our schools and University, as well as in the football teams people support! Relations with both countries have remained very close. |
| Through this brief look at our history, culture and | language, I have tried to convey the polyglot influences that have contributed to the Malta of today. It is this colourful past that we believe constitutes one of the primary factors that makes us credible partners for Europe in the Mediterranean, and for the Mediterranean within Europe. Our history, and the many influences to which we have been exposed, have come together in such a way as to render us able to understand and, possibly more importantly, to identify with, both our Mediterranean and European partners. |
| This ability, combined with our strategic position at | the crossroads of the Mediterranean, has also compelled us to witness first hand a number of disturbing events over the ages. Many of these have arisen from the somewhat contradictory nature of the Mediterranean, which at a first glance may appear unified due to the ever-present sea, common topography and characteristics of the people. On closer scrutiny, however, the Mediterranean can also be seen to be disparate due to the fact that it is home to a plethora of social inequalities, economic imbalances, religious differences, demographic pressures, environmental degradation and, at times, outright conflict. |
| We in Malta have watched these tensions unfold over | hundreds of years, developing in the process an acute understanding of their root causes, and an appreciation of the challenges that our neighbours grapple with on a daily basis. |
| As an island with a firm sense of our European | vocation, we have however also been fortunate enough to forge our own individual identity by maintaining some distance from the very real threats faced by others in the region. This is not to say that we are immune to spillover effects, rather that we have been fortunate to feel these to a lesser degree than most. |
| This has, in many ways, also allowed us to pursue a | different model of development, one that today inspires our ambition to join the European Union at the next enlargement. We believe that membership of a union of like-minded states in this unprecedented widening and deepening of the Union will be of major benefit to us. Our negotiations are at an advanced stage and Malta is well poised, subject to the will of the people as expressed through a referendum, to join the Union in time to participate in the elections to the European Parliament in June 2004. |
| Our push towards membership of the Union has not, and | does not, impinge negatively in any way on our closeness to the Mediterranean. On the contrary, the warm relations we have enjoyed over the years with our Mediterranean neighbours have enabled us to support the Mediterranean cause in various international fora, including a number of European ones. |
| As early as 1972, Malta was the proponent of the | concept that held that the security of Europe was inextricably tied to security in the Mediterranean, and vice versa. The very proximity of the two regions, and the consequent impact of transboundary phenomena such as migration, environmental degradation, and international crime and terrorism - which today is foremost on the agendas of us all - makes this interdependence all the more vital. |
| In fact, it would be fair to say that most | international organisations have arrived at a similar conclusion. The Mediterranean dimension is now an integral part of several European security organisations, such as the OSCE through the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, and NATO’s Partnership for Peace. Indeed, in 1995 the European Union itself also set up the EuroMediterranean Partnership as a means of developing integrated co-operation with twelve Mediterranean partners on the political, economic and social fronts. This is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive and tangible initiative of all, largely due to its holistic approach to the issues concerned. |
| Possibly the most developed of the three pillars of | the EuroMed initiative is the economic pillar, that has in the pipeline the conclusion of a free trade area between Europe and the Mediterranean by 2010. The Arab world, in a similar vein, is also working to conclude its own internal free trade agreement by the year 2007. This has filtered down to the bilateral level, where one finds both the European Union and Malta working to conclude other bilateral free trade agreements with countries along the North African and Middle Eastern shores. |
| This drive towards greater economic integration and | viability can also be seen in the measures taken by Mediterranean countries towards increasing their capacity to compete in this ever-smaller world of which we form part. Malta too is doing the same, and has pursued a policy geared at extending its current portfolio as a tourism destination and manufacturing location to a more service-oriented base. Malta is in fact already being considered as an ideal location for financial services, software development and other industries requiring a high value-added input. |
| As a direct consequence of this thrust, my Government | has issued a call for the building of an international trade centre in Malta. This will serve to enhance the country’s potential as a convenient and cost-effective launching pad for businesses interested in penetrating North African, Middle Eastern and Southern European markets. Our highly skilled and flexible workforce, state-of-the-art telecommunications system, thriving Freeport and, in particular, our impending EU membership, are widely recognised as elements essential for the building of lasting and profitable partnerships in the region. |
| While more and more countries around the southern | Mediterranean shores are acknowledging the driving force of commercial partnerships, and are building the necessary infrastructures to attract inward investment, instability in the region remains a large concern. The situation in the Middle East clearly needs to be resolved before any significant further inward investment can be attracted to the region. This linkage between trade and stability further reinforces the logic behind Malta’s simple equation of security in Europe and the Mediterranean being interdependent and mutually reinforcing. |
| My Government augurs that there will be an early | resumption of the Middle Eastern peace process and welcomes the recent steps being taken in the region by the EU, most especially through the CFSP High Representative, Javier Solana. Europe and the United States can, and must, jointly bring to bear the necessary pressure for the resolution of this long-standing situation within the parameters set out by the relevant Security Council resolutions. This is in the interest of us all, even more so for all those whose daily lives are currently ones of suffering, hatred and fear. |
| We must find ground that is common and not that which | divides. |
| Over the last few minutes I have attempted to | demonstrate Malta’s sense of commitment to both the European continent and the Mediterranean. The responsibility we feel is not exclusive in nature. On the contrary, it is inclusive of both the European and the Mediterranean areas. |
| All countries, whether members or candidates, bring | to the Union their own particular dimension, their own particular contribution. We believe that Malta too has a unique contribution to make to the Union in its understanding and knowledge of the Mediterranean - an understanding and knowledge that has been consolidated over many, many years. |
| This area has been a long-standing area of concern to | the Union. Yet, despite the various initiatives launched by the Union over the years, real and significant breakthroughs have proved elusive. |
| My Government believes that Malta will enrich the | Mediterranean dimension of the Union and contribute to the building of ever stronger and ever more viable bridges to our Mediterranean partners. We are convinced of the important role Malta can play in bringing this area of five hundred million persons closer together at a political, commercial and cultural level, and are ready to play our part in ensuring that Europe and the Mediterranean create the stronger possible partnership. |
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