29 March - 4 April 2001

A boost for Malta

The outstanding success of the film Gladiator which won five Oscars during the Academy Awards ceremony is a major boost for the Maltese film industry. The success of the movie, mainly filmed in Malta, was an excellent advert and a marketing coup for our country. The film U-571, also filmed in Malta, received one Oscar, thus further boosting our image as an ideal location for shooting films. There is no doubt at all that Malta is an attractive place for film producers and we have already had our fair share of well-known movies filmed here such as Midnight Express, Shout at the Devil, Orca killer whale, Popeye and many others.
We should, however, take this opportunity to reflect on how we can make ourselves more attractive to the international film industry. We should first and foremost intensify our marketing campaigns and should greatly exploit the fact that Gladiator was filmed in Malta. One cannot have a better advert than that. The Malta Film Commission’s recent participation in the prestigious Locations 2001 Global Expo in Los Angeles, California, was definitely a good idea. We need to fly the flag as often as possible.
Furthermore, there should be fiscal incentives given to film companies to encourage them to come to Malta. It is good to hear that the new Business Promotion Act contains such incentives and we look forward to being given the details. There can be nothing more attractive to international businesses than a financial motive when deciding on an appropriate location for their business venture. Just as the relatively low taxation on on-line gambling has been an outstanding success, there is no reason to believe that a similar set-up for the international film industry will not also be successful.
Other incentives must include making it easier for film producers to do business in Malta. This means less red tape and bureaucracy and more encouragement and cooperation. Perhaps the Malta Film Commission, which so far has been doing a good job, should be strengthened and given more back-up so that it does not have to rely on the civil service to give the go-ahead for certain film-makers to come to Malta.
Nearly US$60 billion will be spent world-wide on movies, television and commercials and Malta should compete for its fair share of the pie. Location filming not only increases employment and tax revenue, but also has a great spillover effect. Local crews and talent are hired, equipment is rented, local offices are used, hotels are booked and goods and services are purchased. This a very profitable business. Let’s double our efforts at getting a bigger slice of it.

Negotiating a good EU deal

Malta enters an important new phase in its European Union accession negotiations today when five acquis chapters are opened for negotiations. One of these chapters, financial control, should be closed after today’s negotiations in Brussels, bringing the total number of closed chapters to 13. Another three more should be closed by the end of the Swedish presidency.
From now on the more politically sensitive and complicated acquis chapters are to be discussed and these will probably not be closed until the end of the negotiations.
Agriculture, the environment, competition, fisheries, free movement of capital and energy, to name a few, are not “easy” chapters and are both complicated and politically sensitive. They will require tough negotiations on our part and a careful, sound and reasonable explanation as to why we are requesting certain arrangements. This, of course, is very important not only so that we are given the best possible accession package but also to convince public opinion that membership in is Malta’s long-term interest. Sources close to the EU Commission in Brussels have indicated that the EU is confident at arriving at a compromise acceptable to both sides but that it might need a bit more convincing by the government in the latter’s requests for certain arrangements. The government must therefore double its lobbying efforts.
The important thing, however, is that the whole package that Malta is given at the end of the negotiations is positive. Certainly this is a question of give and take. Some of the terms Malta accepts might cause some short-term pain; other conditions could be immediately advantageous. In certain areas, such as the purchase of second homes by foreigners, the government must stick to its demand for a specific deal. Our small size and limited amount of property on the market will definitely cause a huge increase in the price of homes which will be a great burden on the Maltese.