The twelve new members

SirEurope’s journey through the twelve new countries of EU enlargement continues (cf. 19, 23 and 34/2008). This time our destination is the Maltese archipelago: with its 400,000 inhabitants, divided between the four main islands covering an overall area of some 316 sq. km, it is the smallest and least populated State in the European Union. How can a country of this size integrate itself in the EU on equal terms with its European partners? And with what prospects? Anton Theuma, director of the “Paragon Europe” Centre of Services on EU Policies and Programmes, helps us to understand better the problems and hopes of one the places in the Mediterranean that is richest in history and in religious traditions.Four years have gone by since Malta became a member of the European Union, in 2004: what influence has EU entry had on the country’s social and economic life?“Forming part of the European Union means being in a dynamic community that never stops and never relaxes: each day we have to come to terms with EU provisions that inevitably involve social and economic changes. In the course of history the Maltese people have shown their remarkable resilience and strength in adapting to changed circumstances; they have given proof of considerable capacity for change. Now, Malta is being called to make sacrifices, both in the present and future, such as the abolition of some welfare benefits, cuts to public services and losses in manufacturing industry, but these are being offset by some improvements in commercial activities and major technological projects with added value, such as “Smart City”, a project with a value of 150 million euros that will being 8,000 jobs for professionals in the ICT sector [information and communication technologies]”.What are the sectors in which Malta aims to improve its own performance and what are your predictions about future internal developments?“The two mainstays that are growing at a tremendous speed are precisely ICT and the financial sector. In the 1970s Malta succeeded in attracting a considerable number of manufacturing industries, thanks to a strategy based on competitive costs, especially for blue-collar workers. Now a similar strategy is producing good results by attracting white-collar workers, managerial staff and technocrats. But tourism and semi-conductors, too, continue to be important in our economy. Nonetheless we believe that the future of the country consists in providing quality services and solutions for research and innovation through a targeted strategy of micro-businesses. To do so, we must invest more in our educational system and in research, technology, development and innovation. Foreign investments and the financial sector must be aimed more in this direction, rather than towards the commercial and offshore strategies of the past and present”. Do the changed international scenario and the presence of Malta in most of the regional and international organizations help to raise Malta’s profile and make the Maltese population’s voice and problems more heard?“Recently there has been a great deal of coverage of Malta in the international press in terms of the problems of immigration: being the southernmost frontier of the European Union, we are constantly exposed to this phenomenon. Malta hoped that the EU would intervene to help us tackle the problem in a coherent and lasting way, but our hopes were disappointed. Our five MEPs have distinguished themselves in their support for such initiatives as the 50% reduction of tariffs for roaming on cell phones and the consolidation of the Directive on financial services. But what is still lacking in Malta is a clear strategic vision of what she wishes to be and to become. This, clearly, depends on the population, on the public and private sector, on businessmen and on the community in general. We believe the EU can give us this vision thanks to the Lisbon Strategy and the economy of knowledge; it is up to us to use the right platforms to manage the opportunities we would like to develop for a more prosperous and brilliant future”. Fact FileThe first human settlements on Malta date back to 5200 BC. It was the Phoenicians, in the 9th century BC, who gave the archipelago its existing name. For centuries and under different occupations the islands were the seat of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The control of the British Empire over Malta came to an end in 1964, the year of independence, even if the Republic was not officially proclaimed till 1974. In terms of religion, 97% of the population are Catholics, 1% Muslim and less than 1% are Christians of Orthodox or Protestant rites. The official language is Maltese, a mixture of Arabic, English and Italian. For the period 2007-2013, Malta benefits from an allocation of just under 750 million euros from the EU’s Structural Funds. In Brussels the country is represented by five MEPs (three of whom belong to the Socialist group, two to the European People’s Party) and by the Commissioner responsible for fishing and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg.