15 - 21 June 2000

Foreign Minister says 57% favour European Union membership

by Anthony Manduca

Foreign Minister Joe Borg said yesterday that the Maltese electorate continues to be supportive of EU membership. "The latest indications of public opinion in this regard suggest 57 per cent of the Maltese electorate agrees that EU membership is in Malta's national interest", he said.

Dr Borg was addressing EU foreign ministers yesterday at the second meeting at ministerial level of the Malta-EU accession conference, held in Luxembourg. The meeting brought to a successful conclusion the first phase of the conference which opened last February. Dr Borg said: "From its point of view Malta has good reasons to be satisfied with the results of the work achieved over the last 15 weeks. Eight chapters have been opened for negotiations, seven of which we are today declaring provisionally closed.

"The areas already dealt with cover Education and Training, Science and Research, Industrial Policy, Small and Medium Enterprises, Common Foreign and Security Policy, External Relations and Telecommunications. The issues relating to the eighth chapter, dealing with Audiovisual Policy and Cultural Co-operation, are all well in hand, and this should also permit the provisional closing of this chapter in the very near future."

Dr Borg said the government looked forward with confidence, but without any complacency, to the continuing work under the French presidency in the second half of this year. "At this stage we have two considerations very much in mind. On the one hand we recognise the fact that as the negotiations proceed, the chapters and issues to be dealt with become more complex and difficult. On the other hand we are equally conscious of the need to maintain in the coming months the pace and rhythm of the past few weeks in order to be able to achieve our objective of joining the Union at the first enlargement", he said.

Dr Borg said that together with the Commission the government was on the point of completing an updated screening of 15 new chapters in addition to the eight on which negotiations are already engaged. "On most of these fifteen chapters we consider that our ongoing internal consultations will be completed in time to permit us to open negotiations in the coming weeks," he said.

He said that he hoped that a clear picture will soon start emerging on which chapters will be opened for negotiations during the second half of this year.

"In broader terms the need is also increasingly being felt by all candidate countries for a clear time frame to be agreed for the next enlargement. We have been following with interest and attention the various considerations which are being made in this regard, both those supporting the notion of a firm date being set as well as those advising against, at least for the time being," he emphasised.

Dr Borg said that Malta's firm objective remains to be fully prepared for membership by the first of January 2003.

"We do not underestimate the work which still lies ahead and the intensive negotiations in which we will be engaged. Nor, however, do we underestimate the factors which are working in our favour - our own commitment towards membership in the first place, but also the commitment and co-operation of the Member States of the Union and of the Commission services towards the process of enlargement," he said.