MALTA-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

Mr Chairman,

Honourable Members,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure once again for me to have the opportunity to address this committee about developments in Malta/EU relations. As on previous occasions we have six months of intensive and fruitful activity to look back upon. Relations between Malta and the Union continue to grow and deepen in both scope and nature. The role of the European Parliament is increasingly prominent in these developments.

Events of the last few weeks, following the attacks of the 11th September, have touched upon every aspect of international life. They have inevitably also touched upon the European process, both in terms of its internal development as well as in terms of its relations with third countries, not least those countries, like Malta, which are moving ever closer to membership.

Together with other candidate countries we have joined the Union in expressing our horror at the outrage which has taken place, our sympathy and support for the American people and our earnest commitment towards the renewed fight against international terrorism.

The Maltese House of Representative unanimously adopted on Monday 8^th October 2001, a resolution which condemns without any reservations the terrorist attacks of the 11^th September 2001.

The events which have taken place, and the widespread reaction to them, have further underlined the need and validity of collective action at the regional and the international levels. As future members of the European Union, we look forward to being involved as close partners.

In this context there is clear recognition that the process of European enlargement has become even more urgent. Indeed, we wish to express our appreciation to the current Belgian Presidency for the manner in which it has kept enlargement as one of its main priorities, even though the current international political situation has created unexpected new commitments and also new challenges in the European Union’s already very heavy agenda.

A few days ago there was a new round of meetings of the accession conferences at deputies level. These gave an encouraging demonstration of the continuing vigour and relevance of the enlargement process. At its conference Malta provisionally closed its eighteenth chapter - that relating to Transport Policy. This was particularly satisfying for us in view of the sensitivity with which member states look upon the issue of maritime safety.

We have consistently underlined Malta's own commitment to the objective of improving maritime safety. We have shown this both in the manner in which we approached the negotiations on this issue - where we made it clear that our readiness to adopt the relevant acquis was steadfast and unequivocal - but also in the cooperation we have already extended to the European Union in the IMO discussions - a cooperation we are committed to continue and also enhance in the future.

During the last session of the Deputies meeting of the accession conference we also moved one step closer towards a solution to one of the most sensitive issues for us in the negotiations - that relating to acquisition of real estate under the Free Movement of Capital chapter.

In the less formal aspects of the negotiations we have been working actively to find solutions to other remaining key issues. Since I last addressed your committee in May our discussions and consultations with the European Commission and member states have been very intensive on a number of chapters, including, besides Transport and Capital, the chapter on Free Movement of Persons, which we closed in June, and the Chapters on Social Policy and Employment, Fisheries, Taxation, Environment, Customs Union and Justice and Home Affairs, most of which we are aiming to close under the Belgian Presidency.

We are particularly satisfied at the agreement on safeguard measures reached under the Free Movement of Persons chapter. Besides its intrinsic value this agreement further confirms the readiness of the Union to respond to the real needs and interests of candidate countries in the negotiating process.

It is generally agreed that the objective, formulated in Nice and reaffirmed in Gothenburg, for the accession negotiations to conclude by next year, to permit new members to join by 2004 in time to take part in the elections to the European Parliament of that year, remains completely feasible. This is certainly the case as far as Malta is concerned. We expect this to be confirmed next week when the Commission publishes its annual reports on how individual candidates are progressing in the negotiations.

As usual these reports will deal not only with the accession negotiations proper but also with the follow up action which candidate countries are taking to put into place the commitments undertaken in the negotiations. In the light of the forthcoming Progress Report, a revised Accession Partnership for Malta will be finalised, laying the basis for continuing projects of pre-accession assistance for Malta over the next two years.

The linkage that has been made between the priority measures identified in the Accession Partnership and the projects of pre-accession assistance indicates both the substance and the objective of these projects. The projects themselves are intended to help Malta in its transposition of the acquis, while the actual implementation of the projects, through the decentralised system of implementation, will help Malta to gain experience in the management of Community funds to which it will be entitled after membership.

Soon after our last meeting in May, Malta and the Commission signed the financing memorandum for the 2001 national programme. This programme allocates 7.5 million Euro to various projects, all of which are intended to speed up Malta's preparation for membership.

These projects will provide support for the implementation of the acquis in the areas of occupational health and safety, the management of structural funds, border control and asylum, standardisation, and customs and taxation, besides providing for administrative co-operation in support of Malta's pre-accession strategy and for participation in the Community's education programmes.

As I indicated earlier the method of implementation of pre-accession assistance is intended to prepare Malta for the management of Community funds. For this purpose discussions are going on with the Commission for the introduction of the Extended Decentralised Implementation System (EDIS). The Commission has drawn up a road map to prepare Malta for EDIS, and, acting on these suggestions, Malta has already put in place most of the structures that are needed for it.

I would also like to inform you that the projects under the 2000 pre-accession programme are progressing as planned. You will recall that the 2000 programme allocated 6 million Euro to projects intended to support customs and taxation adaptations and to reinforce the institutional capacity in the field of Agriculture. The programme also included an allocation for Malta's participation in Education programmes and in TAIEX activities and for measures of technical and administrative co-operation in various sectors.

As far as Malta is concerned the implementation of the Union's acquis remains very much a complementary and very positive dimension of the measures we are taking in pursuit of our own national development effort. This is reflected in our National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis, an updated version of which is in the process of being finalised.

We had an opportunity to go into these aspects in some detail at a meeting of the Association Committee established under our Association Agreement with the European Union, which was held in Malta last July. This meeting served to underline both the continuity and depth, as well as the dynamism, of the very close relationship which has long existed between Malta and the Union.

Among the matters discussed by the Association Committee were reciprocal trade concessions on fish and reciprocal concessions on agricultural products. Malta and the Commission had already agreed, during negotiations held in April, on a package for the liberalisation of trade in fish and fisheries products. The most important element in this package is the removal of the community tariff on Malta’s exports of aquaculture products. Full liberalisation will occur over a two-year period. The 15 per cent tariff will be reduced by half on a quota of 1,500 tonnes during the first year and removed completely on a quota of 1,750 tonnes during the second. The removal of the community tariff on wild fish will be staggered over a three-year period.

The Association Committee heard the report of the Commission on the outcome of these negotiations and it was agreed that it would recommend to the Council to adopt as early as possible a decision for the entry into force of this agreement.

As regards reciprocal trade concessions on agricultural products the Association Committee agreed to Malta's proposal for the setting up of a working group composed of Maltese and Commission officials to identify products for a package of concessions to be negotiated in detail at a later stage. Action on this is still under way.

The July meeting of the Association Committee was followed by another round of technical meetings between Maltese and Commission officials to discuss some of the outstanding issues in the accession negotiations. These technical meetings have become a useful feature of the negotiating process. They help in giving shape and direction to the process and in clarifying and resolving issues at an informal level before they are taken up more formally in the accession conference itself.

I have already noted that the European Parliament is playing an increasingly prominent role in the development of relations between Malta and the Union. This is highlighted in the Resolution and reports that the Parliament adopted on 5^th September 2001 with regards to Enlargement.

The report dealing with Malta was prepared by the Malta Rapporteur Mme. Ursula Stenzel. Here, I wish to reiterate my appreciation of the energy and commitment, which Mme. Stenzel brings to her task. Through this report the European Parliament once again showed its continuing and firm support for Malta's objective of EU membership.

The main Enlargement resolution adopted by the EP on 5th September also touched upon the issue of the allocation of seats for new member states as proposed in Nice last December. The resolution expressed the view of EP members that when the respective accession treaties are negotiated, Malta should be allocated six representatives in the EP, rather than the five envisaged in Nice. We deeply appreciate this decision by the Parliament, which reflects our own legitimate expectations.

In my comments to your committee last May, I made reference to the report which was then being prepared on the issues which arise in connection with the financial and administrative implications of dealing with the additional translation and interpretation work consequent upon the expected increased membership of the Union.

On the 3^rd September the European Parliament Bureau adopted the Podesta’ Report on "Preparing the European Parliament for the Enlargement of the Union". This report details a three-year plan for the Parliament to prepare its administrative set-up for the next enlargement. The plan adopted contains a clear political signal of the EP's willingness to welcome new Members in optimal conditions and in strict parity with current Member States. In particular we are re-assured and encouraged by the commitment to multilinguism and to the principle of equality of languages underlying the report.

Other aspects of the strengthening role of the European Parliament in the further development of Malta-EU relations are reflected in the increasing involvement of Maltese Parliamentarians in activities promoted by the European Parliament.

Apart from aspects relating to the enlargement process itself these activities cover other areas of direct interest to Malta, in particular issues dealing with Euro Mediterranean relations and issues related to the question of the Future of Europe. We support and encourage such initiatives.

With respect to Euro Mediterranean relations there will be a meeting of the EuroMed parliamentary forum on the 8^th November preceded by a session of the Working Group on rules of origin on the 7^th November. You will also no doubt be aware that Brussels is currently the venue of this year's informal Ministerial Conference of the EuroMed, in which Malta is an active and committed participant.

The initial vitality of the EuroMed process launched in Barcelona in 1995 has been somewhat dampened in recent years. Yet the process has lost none of it relevance and importance. On the contrary the events of the last few weeks, both at the wider international level, and especially at the regional level in the Middle East, have underlined the importance of an ongoing and comprehensive process of Euro Mediterranean consultation and cooperation. Malta remains deeply committed to this process.

The debate on the future of Europe is still at its initial stages. The understandings reached so far deal with, among other things, the organisation of a broad Convention for the preparation of the IGC with the participation of candidate countries as active observers within this framework. The substantive themes to be discussed by the Convention are still under consideration. The IGC will eventually decide on the issues resulting from this process. In Malta we are keen to become actively involved on all aspects of the debate. We also look forward to participate in the IGC itself as members of the Union.

In particular, we recognise the ever-increasing importance of bringing this debate closer to our people. In this spirit, only a couple of weeks ago, we held a Conference in Malta which had as its primary objectives not only the task to inform the general public about the ongoing Future of Europe debate, but also to promote such debate among the Maltese people.

We still have more work in front of us to achieve our desired goal, that is, to become a member of the European family. But an important part of the process to achieve this goal is already in place. Through the progress in its accession negotiations, through its increasing participation in EU activities and programmes, and through its continuing political dialogue with the Union, Malta is indeed today already a very close partner of the Union. The coming months will see the desired culmination of this process.

For the results already achieved and those which are now imminent, I would like to acknowledge and express thanks to EP members for their active support. Our appreciation goes especially to those who are members of this committee and in particular the Co-Chairman and members of the Bureau.

Thank you and I wish you well in your proceedings.