ADDRESS BY THE HON. JOE BORG, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE THIRD MEETING AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL ACCESSION CONFERENCE WITH MALTA - BRUSSELS - 21 NOVEMBER 2000

Malta draws a very positive balance of the work done over the first ten months of its negotiations for accession to the European Union. In this relatively short period we have considered in detail seventeen chapters of the acquis. We have presented our negotiating positions on all these seventeen chapters. The Union in return has presented its common positions on sixteen of these chapters and, we understand, is very close to doing the same with the seventeenth. On twelve of the chapters that we have discussed, the positions have been sufficiently convergent to permit us to agree that the negotiations can be considered provisionally closed.

There are three clear messages which emerge from these results.

In the first place they confirm that Malta is already in a state of high preparedness for EU membership. This first became evident during the accelerated screening process which took place last year. It has been reconfirmed in the negotiations conducted over the last ten months.

Our readiness can be measured in both political as well as technical terms.

Politically we have shown that we understand the essential nature of the Union as a coming together of European nations in a common pursuit. We have shown that we share the fundamental objectives of this common pursuit - the safeguarding of peace and the promotion of prosperity on the basis of the respect for the rule of law, human dignity and national identity, which are among the most dominant elements of the European heritage. We have shown that we bring our direct contribution to this collective effort - a contribution based upon our own strong democratic traditions and our dedication to the pursuit of peace and co-operation in our region and beyond.

Our readiness for membership has also been confirmed at the technical level - in the advanced state of our legislation in many areas, and in the maturity of many of our institutions and administrative structures. Above all we have shown that we have the willingness and the capacity to take up the additional responsibilities of EU membership as part of the natural progression of our national development and of our necessary response to an increasingly globalised economy.

The convergence between our pursuit of EU membership and the process of national development has been a constant theme since we introduced our membership application just over ten years ago. All that has happened over this decade has proved the correctness of this theme. The experience of the last ten months has already started to produce tangible evidence of the social and economic benefits arising from the convergence between the pursuit of EU membership and the efforts towards national development.

Another message emerging from the experience of the last ten months is that Malta is now ready to enter into the second, and hopefully conclusive phase of the accession negotiations. We consider that we have three main tasks over the coming months.

In the first place we have to open negotiations as soon as possible on the remaining 14 chapters of the acquis. At the same time we have to concentrate on the few key issues arising in the negotiations, with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution to all of them. Finally we need to continue putting into place the legislative, administrative and other measures which flow from the commitments we are undertaking in the negotiations.

A few days ago the Commission presented a strategy paper which indicates the way forward in all these three areas. On the opening of new chapters the Commission is proposing a different procedure from the one adopted so far. To date we have been requested to present our negotiating positions on chapters which are first identified as ready for opening by the Presidency, in consultation with the Commission. The way we understand the new procedures which the Commission is proposing is that henceforth we are invited to present our negotiating positions on the chapters as we consider fit. It will be on the basis of the negotiating position itself that the decision will then be taken on whether or not the chapter is ready for active negotiations.

We welcome the Commission's proposals in this regard. We believe that these proposals are better intended to ensure the differentiation among candidate countries on the basis of their own merits and the pace at which they themselves can manage the negotiations. On its part Malta intends to finalise its positions on twelve of the chapters within the coming weeks. Our aim is to open negotiations on all these twelve chapters during the first six months of 2001. Because of their nature, the remaining two chapters, one dealing with institutions, the other with matters not specifically covered by any of the thematic chapters, will have to be taken up later.

The Commission's strategy paper has a number of new proposals aimed at intensifying, and giving better direction to the negotiations. The proposed classification of the requests submitted by candidate countries into three categories will, among other things, permit a clearer identification of the key issues which need to be tackled. The proposal to provisionally close chapters, while setting aside some unresolved issues for discussion at a later stage, also has the merit of focussing attention on the key issues of the negotiations.

At the same time the sequencing of the chapters among the next three presidencies, with the objective of setting a time frame for the Union to produce its common positions on these key issues, will ensure the structured and disciplined approach which is essential for an early conclusion of this process. In this regard we welcome the objective set by the Commission for negotiations with the most advanced candidates to conclude during 2002. This is a time frame which fits in with our own time frame for the proposed referendum on the results of the accession negotiations.

The Commission itself has indicated that an element of flexibility must be applied in the adoption of the proposed road map. From the point of view of candidate countries this flexibility will be needed to ensure that the element of differentiation remains embedded in the negotiations. For example we believe that the particular geographical, economic or social circumstances of a candidate country must strongly influence the eventual categorisation of its requests, as acceptable, negotiable or unacceptable. Similarly the order in which chapters will be taken up needs to take fully into account the different issues which arise for different candidates across the whole range of chapters.

Having said this however, we are confident that the roadmap proposed by the commission provides for the much needed qualitative upgrading of the negotiations over the coming months. As far as Malta is concerned, a small number of key issues have already been identified relating to the chapters on which negotiations are already opened.

These include the question of a fisheries conservation zone around Malta, the question of state aid to our dockyards and the question of acquisition of secondary residencies. We expect an equally small number of key issues to arise in the context of the remaining chapters which are yet to be opened. As we have already made it clear, our basic aim on these issues is not to stand aside from any of the responsibilities of membership but rather to equip ourselves fully to live up to these responsibilities.

Another task in the coming months relates to the implementation of the commitments undertaken during the negotiations. Among the tools which we have available, in order to help in the accomplishment of this task, is the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis which was completed in September following extensive consultations with the Social partners in Malta. We are aware that we have a challenging legislative and administrative programme ahead of us.

Looking back on what we have managed to accomplish over the last twelve months, as also reflected in the Commission's regular report on Malta, we face this challenge with optimism.

A third message emerging from the experience of the last ten months relates to the progressive integration of Malta into the work of the Union. The pre-accession period is not simply a period during which we negotiate our eventual membership of the Union, which will happen at a future date. It is also a period during which, here and now, we are actually integrating ourselves in the work of the Union.

This is happening at different levels. Personal contacts have increased significantly between Maltese, Union and member states representatives from all walks of life, both official and NGO. Malta has started participating in the Union's education, vocational and youth programmes, and will soon start participating in other programmes. We have further developed our political dialogue with the Union, and will in fact later today announce our intention to participate in the humanitarian and peace-keeping dimensions of the Union's security and defence initiative. In the very near future we expect the Commission to receive its mandate from the Council to open technical discussions with Malta on the dismantling of tariff barriers on fish and fisheries products.

We look forward to an intensification of these processes. In this regard we also welcome the Commission's proposals in the strategy paper aimed at simplifying and expediting the procedures for permitting candidate countries to participate in the Union's programmes. One must acknowledge that to date these procedures have remained rather lengthy and cumbersome.

From this standpoint in time we are therefore satisfied that the results already achieved, and the prospects for the immediate future, permit Malta to remain confident that it will achieve its major objective of forming part of the next enlargement of the Union. We have every reason to be confident that the commitment of the European Council, as far back as its meeting in Corfu in 1994, to involve Malta in the next enlargement, will indeed be fulfilled in the very near future.

The final achievement of this objective will be the result of the combined efforts of all of us. Before concluding I wish to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of these efforts. In the first place to the Portuguese and the French presidencies, which have managed the negotiations so effectively over the last ten months. Similarly our appreciation goes to the Commission services and the Council secretariat for their unstinting co-operation and assistance. Finally I would also like to express my appreciation of the untiring efforts of the many Maltese officials who have been deeply involved in this exercise over the last few months.