MALTA SIGNS TWO AGREEMENTS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION

Today, 19^th December, Malta and the European Union signed the following two agreements :

• An Additional Protocol fixing the provisions applicable to trade in certain fish and fisheries products to the Agreement Establishing an Association between Malta and the European Community,

• A Framework Agreement between Malta and the European Community on the General principles for the participation of Malta in Community Programmes.

Both agreements are important steps intended to assist Malta in its preparations for membership of the European Union and constitute an essential part of Malta’s accession process.

The agreements were signed this morning in Brussels by Mr. V. Camilleri, Malta’s Ambassador to the European Communities and Ambassador Frans van Daele on behalf of the Presidency of the European Council. The Ambassadors also exchanged the instruments of ratification for both agreements.

By virtue of the Additional Protocol fixing the provisions applicable to trade in certain fish and fisheries products, the European Union will remove its tariff on aquaculture fish over a period of two years. The Union will also remove its tariff on wild fish over a three-year period. This Agreement comes into force on the 1 January 2002.

The Framework Agreement between Malta and the European Community on the General principles for the participation of Malta in Community Programmes is designed to facilitate the procedures for Malta’s participation in EU programmes.

The EU Programmes in which Malta is interested include sectors relating to Culture, Industry, Environment, Customs, Health, Social Policy and Energy. Malta is already participating in four Community Programmes in the Education sector – Socrates, Leonardo, Youth For Europe and the Fifth Framework Programme for Science and Research.