9 - 15 March 2000

EU Commission proposes chapters to be negotiated with Malta

by Ivan Brincat

The European Commission has proposed the maximum number of possible chapters of the acquis communautaire to be negotiated with Malta, sources close to the European Commission told The Malta Business

Weekly yesterday. The proposal was made to the ambassadors of the member States based in Brussels.

The sources said the number of chapters that would be opened later this month are expected to be eight. The European Commission made its proposal yesterday during a presentation made by Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen late in the afternoon where he indicated the number of chapters that are to be opened with the six new EU candidate countries. A final decision is expected to be taken by the ambassadors on March 15.

Earlier this week, Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, while in Malta, had said he was going to present a "very good proposal" for Malta at yesterday's meeting.

However, the chapters which are to be opened were not announced even though these are expected to be the least complicated and in areas such as education, culture, science and research, SMEs, telecommunications, industrial policy and the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The Maltese government was expecting between eight to nine chapters to be opened under the Portuguese presidency so that more chapters would be open under the French presidency between July and December.

It is the government's intention to open all chapters by the end of the Swedish presidency in June next year. Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Borg last month said the government wanted to conclude negotiations next year.

Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami has promised a referendum on the result of negotiations in 2002.

EU Commission President Romano Prodi said however that it was not the number of chapters which are opened that is important but those which are closed.

Meanwhile, Prof. Prodi yesterday said there would be no slowdown in the European Union's enlargement, despite concerns raised by the inclusion of the far-right Freedom Party in Austria.

He said candidate countries had wrongly interpreted comments he made last week as meaning he would toughen his stand in accession talks to prevent extremists in EU States seeking support by playing on public fears about enlargement.

But Prodi made it clear yesterday there had been no change in the conditions the candidate countries must meet to join the 15-nation EU. They cover issues such as human rights, democracy and the economy.

"It is our commitment to everybody in Europe that enlargement will take place according to the criteria that have been laid down and, in line with that, we have been carrying out this process," he said.

The EU has been holding membership talks for two years with Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus. Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Malta have now also joined the talks.