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ANNUAL REPORT 2007
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”
Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 4 Scene 3
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAIRMAN ’S FOREWORD ...... 7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 10
PART 1: THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ...... 12 THE WORK OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS IN 2007 ...... 12 VISITS ABROAD BY THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ...... 16 Visit to Italy - 22 to 24 January 2007...... 16 Visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - 3 to 8 February 2007...... 18 Visit to India - 11 to 17 March 2007...... 21 Visit to the European Commission in Brussels - 14 June 2007...... 23 PARTICIPATION IN THE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES (COSAC) ...... 26 DELEGATIONS HOSTED BY THE FEAC...... 28 Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from Slovenia - 15 to 17 April 2007...... 28 Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from Lithuania - 9 to 11 May 2007...... 29 Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - 12 to 14 November 2007...... 31 Visit by a Delegation from Saudi Arabia - 9 to 21 November 2007...... 32
PART 2: THE ROLE OF THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE ...... 36 THE WORK OF THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE IN 2007...... 37 The Working Groups ...... 38 The Scrutiny Process ...... 39 PARTICIPATION IN IPEX ...... 41 VISITS ABROAD BY THE COMMITTEE STAFF ...... 42 COSAC – Portugal/Germany ...... 42 IPEX – Copenhagen ...... 43 European Commission – Brussels ...... 43 MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE STAFF ...... 43
STRENGTHS OF THE COMMITTEE IN 2007 ...... 44
PLANS FOR 2008...... 45
CONCLUSION ...... 45
APPENDIX 1 - STANDING ORDER 120F SETTING UP THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ...... 47
APPENDIX 2 - FORMAL MEETINGS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ...... 49 MEETING 98 – 14 DECEMBER 2006 ...... 49 Meeting with Mr Bechir Tekkari, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Tunisia ...... 49 MEETING 99 – 10 JANUARY 2007 ...... 49 Meeting with Dr Gabriella Pace, Chief Executive Officer at the Forum Malta fl- Ewropa ...... 49 MEETING 100 – 17 JANUARY 2007 ...... 50 4
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Meeting with Mr Joseph FX Zahra, Chairman of the National Euro Changeover Committee (NECC) ...... 50 Meeting with HE Gideon Meir, Ambassador of Israel to Malta...... 51 MEETING 101 - 30 JANUARY 2007...... 52 Meeting with Delegation from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels ...... 52 Meeting with HE Karl Andreas von Stenglin, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, on the Work Programme of the German Presidency of the European Union between January and June 2007 ...... 52 MEETING 102 - 19 FEBRUARY 2007...... 53 Presentation by HE President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici on the role of the European Commission for Democracy through Law known as the Venice Commission ...... 53 MEETING 103 – 16 APRIL 2007 ...... 54 Meeting with the Mr Anton Kokalj, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Slovenia ...... 54 MEETING 104 - 17 APRIL 2007 ...... 54 Meeting with Delegation from the Senate and House of Representatives of Australia ...... 54 MEETING 105 - 26 APRIL 2007 ...... 55 Presentation by the Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding travel abroad on official business...... 55 MEETING 106 - 30 APRIL 2007 ...... 56 Meeting with Mr Richard Cachia Caruana, Permanent Representative of Malta to the European Union on the Work Programme of the German Presidency, the Commission Legislative and Work Programme 2007 and the 18-month programme of the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies ...... 56 MEETING 107 - 9 MAY 2007 ...... 57 Meeting with the Delegation from the Foreign and European Affairs Committees of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania...... 57 MEETING 108 - 16 MAY 2007 ...... 58 Meeting with HE Ms Molly Bordonaro, Ambassador of the United States of America to Malta ...... 58 MEETING 109 - 18 MAY 2007 ...... 59 Meeting with Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, on the theme: Towards a Maritime Policy for the European Union...... 59 MEETING 110 – 29 MAY 2007 ...... 60 Meeting with Mr Jo Leinen, Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament ...... 60 MEETING 111 - 20 JUNE 2007...... 61 Presentation by HE Nicholas Archer, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Malta on the theme: Cost Effective Diplomacy...... 61 MEETING 112 - 27 JUNE 2007...... 61 Presentation by Mr Marek Belka, Head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and former Prime Minister of Poland with the theme: strengthening economic cooperation in Europe...... 61 MEETING 113 - 5 JULY 2007 ...... 62 Meeting with Jacques Barrot, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner responsible for Transport ...... 62 MEETING 114 - 11 JULY 2007 ...... 63 Meeting with HE Antonio Augusto Russo Dias, Ambassador of Portugal to Malta, on the Work Programme of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, July to December 2007...... 63 MEETING 115 – 3 OCTOBER 2007 ...... 64 Meeting with Russian Delegation from the Region of St Petersburg ...... 64 5
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Presentation by the Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs...... 65 MEETING 116 - 8 OCTOBER 2007...... 66 French proposal on the setting up of a Union of Mediterranean States...... 66 MEETING 117 - 17 OCTOBER 2007...... 66 Meeting with HE Jean-Marc Rives, Ambassador of France to Malta...... 66 MEETING 118 – 29 OCTOBER 2007 ...... 67 Video Conference with Dr Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union ...... 67 MEETING 119 – 14 NOVEMBER 2007...... 69 Meeting with Delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, led by Hon Flora Kadriu, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy...... 69 MEETING 120 – 19 NOVEMBER 2007...... 70 Meeting with Delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Majlis Ash Shura – Consultative Council – of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ...... 70
APPENDIX 3 - INFORMAL MEETINGS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS IN 2007...... 72
APPENDIX 4 – RECORD OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS 1995 - 2007...... 73
APPENDIX 5 – THE SCRUTINY OF EU DOCUMENTS ...... 77
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Chairman’s Foreword
The presentation of this report, the fourth under my Chairmanship and the last in this legislature, is a source of mixed emotions.
On the one hand, a source of deep satisfaction and a fair amount of pride at what we have achieved together as a Committee over the past year and, even more, over the last four years.
On the other hand a certain amount of nostalgia since this is the last annual report of this Committee under my Chairmanship as we approach the end of the legislature. What we managed to build together and achieve, four years ago, loomed far and away as something of a long shot. Cynics and sceptics were not so parsimonious with their admonitions to the undersigned. I am so glad that my colleagues and the undersigned proved them to have been so wrong. I am not paying any compliment at the expense of truth when, quoting Shakespeare I referred to my Committee colleagues as a “band of brothers”. Without the camaraderie and positive atmosphere existing between us, a number of achievements would not have been possible. Allow me to list some of these:
First Parliamentary committee to issue an annual report each year as from its first year of functioning;
First Committee of the Maltese Parliament to reach the 100-meeting mark;
First Parliamentary committee to make use of videoconferencing;
Following very strong representations made by the Committee during its official visit to Lithuania in June 2006, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Government of Lithuania agreed to accept a number of asylum seekers from Malta;
For the first time, Parliament engaged 4 Research Analysts working full time with the Committee both on the scrutiny of EU pipeline acquis as well as other issues relating to Foreign and European affairs;
Regular updates by various MPs on their participation in international conferences and meetings;
Presentations to the Committee on Malta’s positions in the EU by Malta’s Permanent Representative in Brussels;
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Request by various foreign ministers to address the SFEAC during their visits to Malta;
Presentations by the Ambassadors of the countries which have taken over the Council presidency on the proposed Work Programme for the 6-month period of their presidency;
Official visits abroad by the SFEAC: Libya, China, USA, Tunisia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Baltic States and Finland, Russia, Italy, the Vatican, the Gulf States and India;
First official visit to the European Commission offices in Brussels;
Presentations by academics and other prominent persons on issues of relevance to Malta’s Foreign and European policy;
Meetings with Maltese MEPs, also by way of videoconference;
First time that University students undertook to research the functioning of the SCFEA and the Maltese Parliament model of EU documents;
Comprehensive scrutiny and reporting on a wide area of proposed EU actions and legislation at an early stage including detailed debate of a number of documents regarded to be of legal, social, economic and/or political importance;
Enhancement of transparency and accountability by publishing of all scrutiny related documents on the Parliament’s website;
Introduction of post-Council scrutiny where the relevant Minister is asked to appear in front of the Committee and report on the Council of Ministers meetings attended;
Participation in the IPEX project for inter-parliamentary exchange of information;
First Parliamentary committee to be donated books by Ambassadors accredited to Malta in the name of their respective Governments;
Hosted for the first time staff from the Lithuanian European Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament;
First ever visit by a Parliamentary delegation to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
I have also set tentative meetings for next year. One of the main ones will undoubtedly be the one with Mr Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General who has graciously accepted my invitation to address the Committee.
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Words of sincere and copious appreciation go in the direction of our hard working Parliamentary staff and analysts. Their sense of loyalty and industriousness make them an indispensable asset to Parliament and are a credit to Malta’s public service.
I must confess pride in leading a Committee which has turned itself into the diplomatic arm of Parliament, nurturing amongst us a communal sense of the national interest.
DR. JASON AZZOPARDI MP Chairman, Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is the fourth Annual Report presented by the Foreign and European Affairs Committee since it was constituted in October 2003 and the last one to be presented under the current legislature. As in the previous years the aim of this report is to give a concise yet comprehensive overview of the work of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in the past 12 months and to describe its relevance to the work of the House of Representatives. As in the previous years, the report is divided in two main parts: the first deals with the work of the plenary Foreign and European Affairs Committee whereas the second part details the work of the scrutiny function, which is an integral element of the committee’s work.
The work of both the plenary Foreign and European Affairs Committee and of the Scrutiny Committee in 2007 was built on the success achieved and experience gained in previous years. The principles of transparency and accountability were always at the fore of the Committee’s work and this has led to avoid conflict and positions adopted being based on consensus.
The variety of meetings of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee is proof of the wide-coverage of the matters relevant to the Committee. The exchanges with foreign counterparts, both during visits abroad of the Committee (to Italy, the Gulf States and India) and in the meetings held with the incoming delegations (from Slovenia, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Saudi Arabia) highlight the diplomatic function of the Committee.
2007 was also a busy year for the Scrutiny Committee which met no less than 10 times. Its role in scrutinising EU pipeline legislation remains the main function performed. This was complemented by the participation of its Members and staff in fora of inter-parliamentary exchange such as COSAC and IPEX and by cooperation with scrutiny committees from other Member States.
The appendices at the end of the report contain more detailed information on the work performed by both Committees in 2007.
Appendix 1 reproduces Standing Order 120 F which is the legal basis of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
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Appendix 2 provides a brief description of the main issues discussed in the 23 meetings of the plenary Foreign and European Affairs Committee held since the presentation of the report for 2006.
Appendix 3 lists the informal meetings that the Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee had in 2007.
Appendix 4 provides a breakdown of the meetings of the Committee held since 1995.
Appendix 5 gives a diagrammatical representation of the work of the scrutiny committee of the House of Representatives.
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PART 1: THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
The Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs is composed of the Chairman and eight members and its composition is such that it ensures the proportional representation of both sides of the Maltese House of Representatives.
The Chairman of the Committee, the Hon Jason Azzopardi, is nominated by the Leader of the House on behalf of Government, whilst the eight Committee Members are appointed by way of a parliamentary motion at the beginning of each legislature. The four members from the government side are the Hon Michael Frendo (Minister of Foreign Affairs), the Hon Michael Asciak, the Hon Mario de Marco and the Hon Clyde Puli. The Hon Evarist Bartolo, the Hon Leo Brincat, the Hon José Herrera and the Hon George Vella are appointed from the Opposition side. The Maltese European Parliament members (MEPs) can also participate in the Standing Committee meetings; however, they do not hold any voting rights.
The core functions of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, which was set up on 8 October 2003 by way of Standing Order 120F, relate to the foreign affairs issues and more recently the scrutiny of legislative proposals or documents originating from the institutions of the European Union dealing with EU issues and measures to be taken by the Council of Ministers as well as foreign and European Union affairs that may be submitted by the Standing Committee on House Business. Besides these two core functions, the Committee was also appointed to represent the Maltese Parliament at the Conference of European Affairs Committee (COSAC).1 The scrutiny procedure undertaken by the Standing Committee is discussed in more detail in the second part of this Report.
THE WORK OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS IN 2007
Since the set up of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs in October 2003 the workload has increased from year to year. The past year has been no exception to this. No less than 22 formal meetings of the plenary Committee have been convened and some eight informal meetings led by the Chairman of the Committee.
1 See Appendix 1 – Standing Order 120F setting up the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs 12
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Various EU Commissioners, Ambassadors accredited to Malta, academics and foreign delegations have addressed the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. In 2007 the Committee continued to hold meetings with the Ambassadors accredited to Malta, whose countries have held the EU Presidency this year. This year the Committee was thus addressed by HE Karl Andreas von Stenglin, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Work Programme of the German Presidency of the European Union between January and June of 2007 and by HE Antonio Russo Dias, Ambassador of Portugal to Malta in the Work Programme of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union. In April the Members met with Mr Richard Cachia Caruana, Permanent Representative of Malta to the EU. During this meeting the Permanent Representative and Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, presented the Work Programme of the German Presidency, the Commission Legislative and Work Programme for 2007 and the 18-month programme of the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies.
The Committee was also addressed by Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner Jacques Barrot, responsible for Transport.
Furthermore, the Standing Committee was addressed by all of the foreign delegations which it hosted during the year; that is to say from Slovenia, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Saudi Arabia.
The highlight of this year’s meetings was the hour-long video conference with Dr Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union.
Details of all of the meetings of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee, including the ones mentioned above, can be found in Appendix 2 of this Report.
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FEAC Meetings 1995 - 2007
45 40 35 30 25 Meetings 20 15 10 5 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Year
2007 saw the first time that a parliamentary Committee was the recipient of donations of books from foreign governments. The first of such donations came from the Italian Government and presented to the Committee by HE Paolo Trabalza, Ambassador of Italy to Malta on 3 November 2007. The 137 books comprised diplomatic documents of the Italian Government from 1860 to 2003. The books contain information such as exchanges, notes verbales , and historical books dating back to the period of the Unification of Italy. This invaluable collection will undoubtedly be of interest to researchers in the field of diplomacy and international relations students.
A second set of books was presented to the Foreign and European Affairs Committee by HE Molly Bordonaro, Ambassador of the United States to Malta on 10 December. These books were added to the Committee’s library and included all titles that were indicated by the Chairman of the Committee, including biographies of American past and present statesmen as well as books on international relations and diplomacy general.
Other valuable donations to the library of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee were made by the HE Mr Jurek Juszczyk, Australian High Commissioner, and by HE Dr Elisabeth Kehrer, Ambassador of Austria.
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Presentation of books by HE Paolo Trabalza
In addition, to the meetings of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Working Group 1 was convened nine times to filter the memoranda on EU proposals deposited in Parliament for scrutiny, during which approximately 375 documents have been considered, including 350 received in 2007. Part 2 of this Report goes into further detail of the work of the scrutiny function of the Committee and provides a breakdown of the Proposals considered.
The increase in the workload of the Committee year on year has brought about the need to increase the staff of Research Analysts attached with the Committee. A call for applications has been made and it is expected that the new Analysts be appointed early in 2008.
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VISITS ABROAD BY THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
Visit to Italy - 22 to 24 January 2007
A delegation of the FEAC led by the Hon Jason Azzopardi and comprising the Hon Michael Asciak, the Hon Leo Brincat, the Hon Mario de Marco, the Hon José Herrera and the Hon George Vella visited Italy early in 2007. Ambassador to Malta in Italy Walter Balzan assisted the delegation during this visit.
The first meeting was held with Senator Giulio Andreotti at Palazzo Justiniani. The main issues discussed during this meeting were the importance of ratifying the Constitutional Treaty in spite of the problems encountered, the fact that the EU is in a better position than the US to offer solutions for the Middle East crisis, the situation in Iraq and the Italian political scene. Senator Andreotti also mentioned his still active participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Meeting with Senator Giulio Andreotti at Palazzo Justiniani
The main subjects discussed during the meeting with Famiano Crucianelli, Undersecretary of State responsible for European Affairs at the Farnesina, included
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the Constitutional Treaty and the shared problem between Italy and Malta of illegal immigration.
The Committee had the opportunity to discuss areas of cooperation between Italy and Malta such as the financial and cultural protocols and the Italian Military Mission in Malta with Senator Lamberto Dini, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Senate. The Constitutional Treaty, Italy’s expatriation agreements with Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco for illegal immigrants and the war in Iraq were also discussed during this meeting. The Chairman of the FEAC invited Senator Fini to visit Malta together with a delegation from the Senate Committee on EU Affairs.
In the meeting with Cardinal Bertone, Vatican State Secretary at Torre San Giovanni, the Maltese delegation remarked that the Maltese population received warmly the appointments of the new Bishop of Gozo and Archbishop of Malta. Cardinal Bertone explained how the Vatican is resorting to the solidarity approach targeting childcare.
The delegation also had a meeting with Hon Franca Bimbi, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee and Hon Umberto Ranieri, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Parliament and Hon Arnold Cassola at Montecitorio. The main items discussed included the close ties between Italy and Malta that exist principally as a result of the close geographical proximity and the active participation in Mediterranean fora such as the EMPA and the 5 Plus 5. Spring hunting and divorce were also discussed from an EU point of view.
In the meeting with Prof Vincenzo Scotti at the premises of the Link Campus University of Malta in Rome the delegation learned that this University was granted authority to operate by the Italian authorities in November 1999 and currently has 500 students in graduate and postgraduate course, which number is expected to grow to 900 in the near future. This University offers courses at Bachelor and Masters levels in various subjects and is also equipped with facilities for distance learning. Prof Scotti was invited to address the FEAC on this institution.
The delegation also had the opportunity to attend the Pope’s Wednesday audience with the help of Mons Alfred Xuereb at the Prefettura della Casa Ponteficia and Rev Fr Mario Laurenti Honorary Ecclesiastical Counsellor.
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The last meeting the delegation had in Italy was with Hon Gianfranco Fini, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of Alleanza Nazionale at Montecitorio. The exchange of views concerned mainly the situation in Lebanon and Italy’s active involvement in the United Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL), the Israeli/Palestinian issue and the Constitutional Treaty. With regard to the latter both sides agreed that the fact that the German Presidency made this item a priority was a positive step in arriving at a solution.
Visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - 3 to 8 February 2007
Hon Jason Azzopardi also led a delegation of the FEAC comprising Hon Evarist Bartolo, Hon Leo Brincat, Hon Mario de Marco and Hon José Herrera to the Gulf States of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The delegation was assisted in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait by Ambassador Mr Godwin Montanaro and in the United Arab Emirates by the Consul-General in Dubai Mr Anthony Tabone.
The delegation met with Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid, Chairman of the Majlis Al-Shoura (Consultative Council), Dr Bandar Al-Eiban, Mr Mohammed Al-Helawa and other members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dr Shwadh bin Saud Al-Matieri, Chairman of the Economics and Energy Affairs Committee and Yousuf Al-Maiman, Chairman of the Friendship Committee. The Maltese delegation opined that relations between the two countries should be promoted at different levels, including the parliamentary dimension. It was also said that with respect to the Middle East Malta always supported initiatives that promoted the Mediterranean and Middle East region such as the 1975 Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), it was a founder member of the Barcelona Process and more recently its role in the recent setting up of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM). Attention was drawn to the fact that there are many business opportunities that can be exploited between the two countries which can be further enhanced by the establishing Double Taxation Agreements and a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Gulf States.
The Saudi side expressed the desire to establish a Parliamentary Friendship Group, which suggestion incidentally came a few hours after the Al-Shura had unanimously
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ratified the General Agreement between the two countries. On the subject of the regional conflicts in the Middle East the Saudi side feels that the main stumbling block has been foreign interference.
In the meeting with Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh, Prince Mohd bin Faisal bin Turki, Head of the EU Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Attiya, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, HE Jubara Al-Suriseri, Minister of Transport, Abdullah Al-Hamoudi – Deputy Minister of Commerce, Dr Fahad Al-Sultan, Secretary General of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Director of the High Commission of Investment the Maltese side stated that Malta should be considered as a strategic friend and partner of Gulf States in view of its geographical position and its EU membership. In fact, Malta has made various proposals promoting peace and stability in the Mediterranean and the Middle East such as the Barcelona Process and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. The involvement of Maltese businessmen engaged in overseas projects is enhanced especially in view of the setting up of various International Trading Companies thanks to the 45 Double Taxation Agreements. SmartCity was cited as an example of foreign direct investment which is expected to generate more than 5,000 jobs over an eight-year period. The English language schools in Malta as well as the universities in both countries are examples of areas of possible cooperation. The Saudi side remarked that Malta’s foreign policy has always been consistent with regard to the Middle East, and this has been much appreciated by the Saudi authorities, who have always advocated the resolution of conflicts through peaceful means. The Saudi side also explained how their country is the largest and most competitive economy in the Gulf and in the whole Middle East and the kind of investment that is contributing to this.
The Maltese Delegation extended an invitation to Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh, to visit Malta. Another invitation was made to Prince Mohd bin Faisal bin Turki, Head of the EU Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for matters affecting Malta/Saudi/EU relations. With the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) the delegation discussed the conflicts in the Middle East which are affecting negatively GCC member states, the vibrant economic activity taking place in GCC members states (i.e. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman),the need for closer cooperation between the EU - Malta in particular - and the GCC, especially on the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the two strategic blocks which unfortunately has been 19
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dragging on for about 15 years and possible links between the GCC and the recently set up Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. It was noted that the GCC is the fifth trading partner of the EU whereas the EU is its first trading partner.
In Kuwait the delegation held discussions with the Deputy Speaker of the Majlis Ul- Umma (House of the Nation), Hesham Al-Waqayan, Deputy Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and Ali S. Al-Deqbasi, Member of Parliament. The Maltese side expressed its gratitude for past financial assistance granted to Malta by Kuwait and urged that relations should move from assistance to cooperation by advancing matters of mutual interest both at bilateral and at regional levels. On the other hand, the Kuwaiti side thanked Malta for its general policy in the region, especially its immediate condemnation of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and for adopting sanctions against Iraq in line with UN resolutions. An invitation was extended for a Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation to visit Malta.
In the United Arab Emirates the delegation held discussions with Moh’d Salem Al Mazrooei, Secretary General of the Federal National Council, Abdul Razak Hadi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Gaizi, Manager Economic Department, Federation of UAE Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Hamad Mubarak Buamim, Director General of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Maltese side noted that Malta and the UAE have already established certain linkages, especially with Dubai, e.g. direct air services since 1998 with Emirates now flying five-days a week, over 500 Maltese nationals working in Dubai, the opening of a consulate and trade centre in Dubai in 2003, the largest single foreign direct investment in Malta made by Tecom Investments of Dubai in the SmartCity ICT Project and the signing of a double taxation agreement in 2006. Both sides agreed that there is scope to build on the already healthy relationship and the areas of tourism, financial services, English language learning, cooperation at university level regarding medical and IT education. This is to be complemented by the introduction of new courses such as Islamic banking and Arabic business language. It was agreed that in the fields of health and education services contacts were to be established at an official level whereas with regard to other business sectors contacts should be developed by the respective national business chambers. Both sides agreed on the need of setting up a Parliamentary Friendship Group. The Maltese delegation extended an invitation for an UAE parliamentary delegation to visit Malta.
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Visit to India - 11 to 17 March 2007
A delegation from the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, led by the Hon Jason Azzopardi, Chairman of the Committee, and comprising of the Hon Evarist Bartolo, the Hon Angelo Farrugia and the Hon Clyde Puli visited New Delhi, India, whereby the delegation had the opportunity to meet with various members of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament as well as the Lower House of the Indian Parliament and the Standing Committee on External Affairs and Standing Committee on Information Technology.
The delegation held talks in New Delhi with Mr. K Rahaman Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Rajha Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) and with the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament), Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal for the purpose of strengthening parliamentary relations between the two countries and explore other areas of economic cooperation. In this regard, the Maltese delegation raised the suggestion of setting-up a Maltese-Indian Parliamentary Friendship Group, which was also welcomed by Mr. Khan and Mr. Atwal. The delegation also discussed niches of the Maltese economy which could lead to the fostering of economic cooperation between the two countries like the ship repair industry, the information technology sector, as well as the recent foreign direct investment (FDI) directed at the pharmaceuticals sector. The delegation also mentioned the fact that Malta’s strategic position as a new member of the EU and its proximity to North Africa makes it ideal for Indian companies to access either the EU or the North African market.
The delegation from the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs also held talks with Mr Priyatanjan Dasmunsi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, whereby reference was made to the recent decision taken by the Maltese government to open a High Commission in New Delhi. The delegation also discussed the proposal to set up a parliamentary friendship group, the highly debated proposal to expand the membership of the United Nations Security Council and the ‘Yioham tragedy’, whereby the Minister expressed his gratitude towards the Maltese authorities for the assistance offered in the case.
The Maltese Members of Parliament also had the opportunity to visit the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) whereby Ms Pooja Kapoor, Manager - Trade Development and Events - gave a presentation on the set- 21
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up, the main objectives, and the significant work carried out to promote the Indian IT- BPO sector in particular in the US and the UK. The Maltese delegation suggested the establishment of contacts with Malta Enterprise, and the fact India could benefit from Malta’s strategic position as a new EU Member State and its proximity to North Africa as well as being the only EU Member State with a double taxation agreement with Libya.
During the meeting held with Mr Sshri Anand Sharma, the Maltese delegation held an exchange of views on the current period of economic development in Malta, which is mainly characterised by foreign direct investment in various sectors notably in pharmaceuticals and information technology. On the other hand, the Indian government’s current priorities centre on health, infrastructure and education with India having steadily established itself as a forerunner in the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Other topics discussed included the Iranian nuclear programme as well as ways in which regional conflicts such as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the Iraqi War and the Lebanon conflict could be resolved.
The Maltese delegation also held discussions with members of the Indian Standing Committee on External Affairs with regards to the strengthening of diplomatic relations between the two countries since their inception in 1965, the proposed setting-up of a Maltese-Indian Parliamentary Friendship Group, economic cooperation in the fields of ship repair and tourism. Malta’s strategic position as the only EU Member State holding a double-taxation agreement with Libya and Malta’s success in attracting new foreign direct investment were also discussed. On the other hand, the Members of the Indian Standing Committee on External Affairs praised the way the Maltese authorities had organised the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) and requested Malta’s support to India’s bid to host the next CHOGM meeting, referred to the engagement of a Maltese company in a project in Kerela, raised the issue on the need to reform the United Nations Security Council and showed appreciation towards Malta’s decision to open a High Commission in New Delhi.
During the meeting held with the Standing Committee on Information Technology, the Maltese side made reference to the opening of the Maltese High Commission in New Delhi and expressed Malta’s wish towards the opening of an Indian High Commission in Malta. Reference was made to the then imminent visit of the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the strong colonial history and democratic systems shared by the two 22
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countries, the recent investment by Tecom and Sama Dubai in a SmartCity in Malta as well as Malta’s thriving film industry. On the other hand, the Indian counterparts described the set-up of the Standing Committee on Information Technology and its areas of responsibilities related to considering the demands for grants, examination of Bills and consideration of reports emanating from or related to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology. The Indian side also expressed its satisfaction towards the opening of the Maltese High Commission in New Delhi, praised the handling of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) by the Maltese government; referred to the signing of the Cultural Agreement and the Agreement on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technological Co-operation in 1992 as well as inquired on the infrastructure currently available in Malta as regards film production.
Visit to the European Commission in Brussels - 14 June 2007
A Parliamentary delegation, led by the Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee Hon Jason Azzopardi, and comprising Hon Michael Asciak, Hon George Vella, Hon Joseph Abela, Hon Roderick Galdes, Hon Stefan Buontempo, Hon Angelo Farrugia, Hon Joseph Cuschieri, Hon Silvio Parnis Hon Gavin Gulia, Hon Anton Refalo and Hon Joseph Sammut visited the European Commission for a day of back- to-back meetings at its headquarters located at the Berlaymont.
The meeting with Joaquin Almunia focused on Malta’s entry into the Eurozone as from 1 January 2008, especially on the possibility of experiencing a rise in inflation. Whilst discussing the Maltese economy, Almunia was pleased to note that Malta was complying with the Maastricht Treaty and has achieved a stable micro-economic environment.
The Members made reference to the Convergence Report on Malta, indicating that areas other than the pension and health care reform mentioned in the report needed attention. Commissioner Almunia confirmed that these would be identified and addressed through the National Reform Programme.
Mention was also made of the plight faced by potential investors, often complaining about the size of the Maltese market. Mr Almunia explained that efforts of the Commission aimed at achieving a clear and regulatory environment, helps in creating
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a stable and sustainable economic environment which lures investors since they would be aware of the economic scenario governing a particular country.
This issue was also raised with Ms Petra Erler, Head of Cabinet to Vice-President Verheugen on Enterprise and Industry. Within the context of the Lisbon Strategy, Ms Erler highlighted the issues of providing better employability while emphasizing the relation between growth and jobs.
With regard to tourism, Ms Erler, while praising the European Tourism Forum held in Malta in 2005, explained that the use of Structural Funds should be coupled with the innovative aspect, ultimately enhancing the tourism product. The Commission has also been working on preserving culture and heritage, consolidating the European brand as well as setting an EU tourism portal.
The meeting with Nikolaus Van der Pas, Director-General on Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities focused on better conditions for women workers and on the labour law which should be targeted towards early school leavers. Mr Van der Pas stressed on maximizing the European Structural Funds and how these can be used to facilitate the integration of legal migrants into our countries. Nevertheless, he explained, the EU needed to maintain a high level of productivity and competitiveness. In this regard, the EU is committed to develop the channels for legal migration in Europe. He also highlighted the fact that 2007 was the year for ‘Equal Opportunities for All’ and that the Commission was working hard on the issue of non- discrimination, which was being welcomed by several Member States.
Other issues on the Charter of Fundamental Rights ensued in the discussion with Mr Van der Pas, where he was asked whether the charter should be included in the Constitutional Treaty. There were mixed views on the topic, since many European citizens considered the Treaty as being something technical and not in touch with the lay person.
Illegal migration was the main issue discussed during the meeting with Patrick Child, Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. Mr Child explained how their team was working in close collaboration with Commissioner Frattini to examine potential solutions. Mr Child touched upon several issues dominating EU’s current external relations, such as its role in the Middle East, explaining that it had spent
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€500 million in Palestine while expanding on the difficulties encountered in achieving consensus on the war in Lebanon.
During the last meeting Commissioner Pielbags focused on the use of renewable resources of energy and on reducing CO 2 emissions. Mr Pielbags explained how each Member States should be forwarding its energy efficiency plan to the Commission. Mr Pielbags was optimistic that the Kyoto targets on reducing emissions would be reached by all Member States. On the issue of biofuels, Mr Pielbags felt that such initiatives should be country based because of the different characteristics of Member States.
The delegation also had the opportunity to discuss the latest updates on the maritime policy during the meeting with Commissioner Borg. Commissioner Borg was pleased to note that as a result of the public consultation, several opinions had been received by the Commission. The next step for the Commission would be to come up with a concrete action plan toward the end of the year. During the meeting, it was also agreed by both sides of the House to hold more detailed meetings on maritime policy addressing the House of Representatives.
Visit to the European Commission in Brussels
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PARTICIPATION IN THE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES (COSAC)
The first COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting for 2007 was held in Berlin, Germany on the 12 February. The Maltese House of Representatives was represented by the Hon Clyde Puli. The meeting was addressed by Ms Margot Wallström, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, who gave an overview of the prospects for cooperation between the Commission and national parliaments and referred to the results of the Commission’s initiative of direct transmission of its documents to national parliaments. She stressed the key role of national parliaments with regard to the improvement of the European policy formulation as well as the better involvement of citizens in EU affairs.
The meeting closed with a presentation by Dr Wolfgang Schauble, Federal Minister of the Interior of the German Government, which dealt with the related issues of migration and integration. Dr Schauble stressed the fact that the issue of illegal immigration had to be tackled not only at the national level and at the European level but also with the cooperation of the origin and transit countries. Dr Schauble also pointed out that the control of illegal immigration must be linked with a successful integration policy and the openness of the employment market.
A parliamentary delegation composed of the Hon Clyde Puli and the Hon George Vella attended the XXVII COSAC Plenary meeting held between the 13 and the 15 May in Berlin. The meeting touched upon a variety of key topics such as the co- financing of the permanent member of the COSAC secretariat, the presentation of the 7 th biannual report, the subsidiarity control check to be implemented by the majority of the present national parliaments/chambers as well as the European Commission’s Annual Policy Strategy for 2008.
Mr Michael Muller, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, gave an overview of EU climate change policy. He stressed that Europe should take a leading role in the field of climate protection and referred to the positive results of the Spring European Council of March 2007 where EU leaders had agreed to a drastic cut of greenhouse gas emissions.
The meeting was also addressed by Chancellor Angela Merkel who spoke on the future of Europe. Chancellor Merkel warned that the capacity to act as a community 26
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of 27 members could no longer be ensured by the reforms of the Treaty of Nice. Likewise no future enlargement could take place on the basis of the existing treaties. The Constitutional Treaty offered answers to the fears of European citizens particularly thanks to its provision for the stronger participation of national parliaments and the stronger involvement of regions.
The COSAC XXXVIII Chairpersons’ Meeting was held in Lisbon, Portugal on the 10 July. The meeting was addressed by the Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Luis Amado, who highlighted the fact that the objectives of the Portuguese presidency were the result of the cooperation with both the German and Slovenian presidencies and thus reflected the views of three different countries with different experiences, culture and histories. Mr Amado stressed the need to find a fast solution to the current impasse so that the Union might take on a more creative role on the international stage and satisfy its citizens’ needs.
The delegates were also addressed by Professor Carlos Zorinho, National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy, who gave an overview of the developments which have taken place in respect of the Lisbon Strategy since its inception. He focused on the revision, which took place in 2005 and pinpointed the fruits, which such revision bore in recent years. During his presentation Professor Zorinho referred to a variety of initiatives to be implemented by the Portuguese presidency and which were aimed at strengthening the Lisbon Strategy.
On the basis of a German initiative, the Presidency submitted a proposal aimed at requesting the European Council to admit national parliament observers to the negotiations of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on a reform treaty of the European Union. COSAC also established a Working Group with the mandate of following the IGC as closely as possible and to report accordingly.
The XXXVIII COSAC plenary meeting was held in Estoril, Portugal on the 15 and the 16 October 2007. The Maltese House of Representatives was represented by Dr Melanie Vella, Research Analyst. On the first day of the meeting, the delegations discussed various issues including the eighth biannual report of COSAC, amendment to the COSAC rules of procedure and the appointment and co-financing of the permanent member of the COSAC secretariat.
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The delegations were addressed by José Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission who gave an overview of the latest developments regarding the European Union Reform Treaty. He highlighted four main areas of progress, namely, the issue of European citizenship, the legal enforcement of the Charter of Fundamental rights, the enhancement of the role of the European Parliament and the improved role of national parliaments in the EU legislative process. Mr Barroso also focused on the Commission’s initiative of direct transmission of COM documents and highlighted the ongoing effort of the current Commission in nurturing its relationship with national parliaments.
The delegations were also addressed by Mr José Socrates, the Prime Minister of Portugal who outlined the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency stressing the work on the Reform Treaty, the international relations of the European Union, the Lisbon Agenda and the fight against climate change.
The main issue discussed by COSAC on the second and last day of the conference was the Euro Mediterranean Dimension. In this respect, the Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Mr Luis Amado stressed the importance of adopting the new treaty even in the context of the EU Mediterranean dimension. Mr Amado also emphasised the need to adapt the existing instruments that govern the relations between the EU and the Mediterranean states so as to achieve the EU’s economic and political objectives in this area.
DELEGATIONS HOSTED BY THE FEAC
Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from Slovenia - 15 to 17 April 2007
The first delegation to be hosted by the FEAC in 2007 was a visit from Hon Anton Kokalj, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia and Dr Zvonko Bergant, Secretary to the Committee.
The first meeting that was organised for the delegation was with Meeting with Mr Charles Inguanez, Director General for Economic and European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After a brief presentation of the Ministry’s strategic objectives there followed an open discussion on issues such EU enlargement (with particular reference to the Western Balkans and Turkey), the future of the
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Constitutional Treaty, the preparations for the Slovenian Presidency and future Financial Perspectives.
The delegation met the Hon Anton Tabone, Speaker of the House of Representatives, with whom the possibilities of enhancing the cooperation between the respective parliamentary institutions, particularly as both countries are Mediterranean countries. This cooperation should also be extended to the small EU countries. Mention was also made of Slovenia’s participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
The delegation was also invited to address the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs and Members of the Malta/Slovenia Parliamentary Friendship Group. The Chairman of the Slovenian EU Affairs Committee expressed his appreciation for the invitation by the Maltese Parliament to hold the first official visit and exchange of opinions at bilateral level. Other matters discussed during this meeting were the Future of Europe and the new Constitutional Treaty, EU enlargement and the importance of the Western Balkans, the Lisbon Strategy and the reform of the EU Budget. The meeting was concluded with the two sides exchanging good intentions to intensify the parliamentary, governmental and bilateral relationship between Malta and Slovenia.
Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from Lithuania - 9 to 11 May 2007
The second incoming visit in 2007 was by a delegation from Lithuania comprising the Hon Justinas Karosas, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Head of Delegation, Hon Mr Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas, Hon Ms Aldona Staponkiene, Ms Jadvyga Zinkeviciute and Ms Vaida Tupciauskaite, Delegation Secretary.
The first meeting of the delegation was with Hon Anton Tabone, Speaker of the Maltese House of Representatives. Hon Tabone welcomed the delegation from the Lithuanian Parliament on the celebration of Europe Day and expressed his appreciation for the hospitality shown with the Maltese delegation upon their visit in Lithuania on 6 June 2006. He also thanked the Lithuanian authorities for the solidarity shown and the help given in respect of Malta’s problem with illegal immigration. Other issues raised during this meeting were the suggestion to set up structures for cooperation between small parliaments such as the Nordic and Baltic
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Committees. Mr Speaker emphasised the fact that Malta always strives to put Mediterranean issues on the European agenda. The Chairman of the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Committee agreed upon and expressed his support for the proposed establishment of a political-parliamentary group between Malta and Lithuania. The meeting ended with Mr Speaker wishing a fruitful and enjoyable stay in Malta to the Lithuanian delegation.
The Lithuanian delegation also had the opportunity to address the Members of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. Hon Azzopardi expressed his gratitude towards the Chairman of the Lithuanian Committee on Foreign Affairs for taking into consideration the Committee’s request for Lithuania to take in a representative number of migrants from Malta as a gesture of solidarity. Various other issues were raised during this meeting by both sides including the cooperation between small states, enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy, EU relations with Russia and the Middle East.
The Lithuanian delegation met with Hon Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and Home Affairs and Hon Anthony Abela, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister. Hon Borg remarked that the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Committee as being instrumental in putting forward the Maltese proposal for burden sharing. Inevitably, the discussion continued on the issue of illegal immigration in Malta and why the negative effects are felt so strongly. On their part, the Lithuanian delegation assured the Maltese side that they will continue to raise Malta’s circumstances on the EU agenda.
The last meeting of the Lithuanian delegation was held with Mr Charles Inguanez, Director General Economic and European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Martin Valentino, Director European Affairs. Again, the principal theme was that of the problem of illegal immigration in Malta. The meeting ended with both parties agreeing upon the benefits of the dialogue held between the two countries highlighting the similar opinions shared, and also on the concept that such good bilateral relations will enable the EU to grow.
The series of meeting was concluded with a press conference by Hon Jason Azzopardi and Hon Justinas Karosas in which the resettlement of six asylum seekers in Lithuania was described as being a small but important step forward in practical burden sharing. 30
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The Lithuanian authorities wanted to show solidarity with Malta to encourage other EU Member States to assist Malta and other countries facing similar problems. The procedure that led to the resettlement of the asylum seekers started during talks held between a Maltese parliamentary delegation from the Foreign and European Affairs Committee and Lithuanian leaders during an official visit commencing on 6 June 2006. The Maltese delegation presented a request to the Lithuanian Government regarding the resettlement of some irregular immigrants, which request was acceded to on 30 November 2006. The process started immediately and two families consisting of six people, originally from Ethiopia and Eritrea were accepted in Lithuania.
Prof Karosas also reiterated that Lithuania is assisting Estonia in its conflict with Russia and expressed his satisfaction with regards to the EU giving more importance to the problems of smaller countries like Lithuania and Malta.
Finally Hon Azzopardi announced the agreement reached with his Lithuanian counterpart to establish a parliamentary friendship group between the two countries in the near future.
Visit by a Parliamentary Delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - 12 to 14 November 2007
On the invitation of Hon Jason Azzopardi, Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee a delegation from the Parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, hereinafter referred to as FYROM, comprising Ms Flora Kadriu, Chairperson, Foreign Policy Committee, Ms Ljilja Trpkovska, Secretary to the Committee and Mr Ogce Dzalevski, State Counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The first meeting on the programme was held with Mr Charles Inguanez, Director General for Economic and European Affairs and Mr Martin Valentino, Director European Affairs and Ms Joanne Mercieca. The issues raised during this meeting related mainly to the EU’s policy on enlargement to include the Western Balkans and to the stumbling blocks that are delaying the establishment of diplomatic relations
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between Malta and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It was agreed that bilateral exchanges can still take place without such relations.
The delegation also called upon Hon Anton Tabone, Speaker of the House of Representatives. During this meeting the challenges facing small parliaments were discussed, as well as the recent establishment of a Friendship Group between the two parliaments. Ms Kadriu also congratulated Malta for being chosen to host the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
The delegation also addressed the Foreign and European Affairs Committee. During this meeting the need for closer cooperation between the two sides was stressed. This will be possible after the resolution of certain diplomatic and international hurdles. Mention was also made of the positive assessments by the European Commission on the progress made by the country to join the European Union.
Visit by a Delegation from Saudi Arabia - 9 to 21 November 2007
A delegation from Saudi Arabia comprising HE Dr Sadakah Yahia Fadil, Chairman and Head of Delegation, HE Dr Talal Mahmoud Dahi, HE Dr Bandar Mohammad Al Eiban, HE Dr Ibrahim Eissa Al Eissa, HE Dr Abdullah Yahya Bukhary, HE Dr Saeed Hamad Al Hagri, Members of Majlis Ash Shura, Mr Mohammad Hamad Al Ibrahim, Director of Protocol Department, Mr Anwar Ali Al Ghamdi, Director of Commission’s work and Mr Mohammed Jadallah, First Secretary at the Saudi Embassy in Rome. The delegation was accompanied by Mr Godwin Montanaro, Ambassador to Malta in Saudi.
This visit was hosted as a reciprocation of the visit by the delegation of the Maltese FEAC to Saudi Arabia in January of this year and this is the first Saudi delegation to visit Malta in recent years. The programme consisted of a number of very high level meetings with Maltese authorities and leaders, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
The first meeting was held with the Hon Alfred Sant, Leader of the Opposition MPs Leo Brincat, Joe Sammut and Roderick Galdes as well as the Maltese Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Godwin Montanaro also attended the meeting. The issues discussed during the meetings included the Labour Party’s foreign policy especially
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the diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, which were initiated by the Party in 1975 under Labour government. Other issues raised included the country’s stand on the Middle East and the recognition of a Palestinian state as well as Malta’s role in bridging the gap between the EU and Gulf Co-operation Council.
The delegation also met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Anton Tabone. Dr Sadakah Bin Yehya Bin Hamza Fadel expressed his gratitude for the hospitality being shown to him and his delegation during their visit to Malta. He expressed the belief that such visit will help strengthen the ties between the Saudi Majlis Ash Shura and the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the Maltese House of Representatives and to foster the development of parliamentary cooperation on all levels.
Mr Speaker stressed the importance that the Maltese parliament is placing on developing parliamentary diplomacy and stressed the fact that notwithstanding the lack of resources the Parliament still embarks on new challenges and referred to the conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) to be held in Malta in a few days after Malta was chosen as the ideal state to house the Secretariat of the Assembly. Mr Speaker stressed the fact that such initiatives are reflective of the importance that Malta places in understanding and developing the Mediterranean Dimension.
The delegation also addressed the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the House of Representatives. The Chairman referred to the fact that both this visit and the visit of the Committee to Riyadh in February helped show the potential for further collaboration between the two countries. Mention was made of the general cooperation agreement which was signed by the Foreign Minister, Michael Frendo with his Saudi counterpart when he visited Saudi in April 2003 and which was ratified by the Saudi authorities in July of this year.
Mention was made by the Committee of the fact that Malta was chosen to host the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and its inaugural session was to be held in Malta and this reflects the importance that Malta places in understanding and developing the Mediterranean Dimension. Suggestions for cooperation in the health and education sectors were also raised by the Committee.
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The delegation declared their stand against violence and the fact that this was the rationale behind the recent Saudi peace initiative, which in reality is based on resolutions of the United Nations that were issued back in 1967 and 1973. King Abdullah’s peace plan represents not only Saudi’s vision for peace but he also managed to rope in all the Arab countries. This was said in the context of the upcoming Annapolis Conference.
In conclusion, it was suggested that the two parliaments establish a yearly exchange of visits so that hopefully the results derived from such visits would in turn encourage the government and the relevant ministries to do the same and to expand the scope for collaboration.
In the meeting with Hon Louis Galea, Minister of Education, Youth and Employment, possible areas of cooperation in the field of education, particularly tertiary education, were discussed. The Saudi Arabian side expressed its intention to encourage Saudi students to study at the University of Malta, however it was agreed that cooperation should be extended to go beyond simply an exchange of students.
The meeting with the Education Minister was followed by a courtesy call on the President of Malta HE Edward Fenech Adami. The President thanked the delegation for their contribution to strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries. There is already a very good relationship as evidenced by the fact that Malta has a resident Ambassador in Riyadh. HE also expressed his gratitude for the aid Malta received from Saudi Arabia in the 70s and 80s at a time when Malta was trying to drive the growth of the economy. HE also expressed his admiration for King Abdullah’s efforts in promoting a peace plan for the Middle East and his visits to the UK and to the Pope. The delegation also expressed its appreciation for Malta’s position as interlocutor with the EU.
The Prime Minister Hon Lawrence Gonzi welcomed the delegation from Saudi Arabia and mentioned how this exchange at Parliaments level is contributing the breaking new ground with Saudi Arabia. The Prime Minister augured that this visit will give the SAD an idea of what Malta has to offer and that this experience could be translated into concrete terms in their country.
On their part, the delegation expressed their satisfaction for the warm welcome they received in Malta and viewed this visit as a good opportunity for collaboration 34
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between the two countries. They also conveyed the regards of King Abdullah and the President of the Shura Council. The delegation made reference to the four areas of potential collaboration that were identified.
The delegation also met with Mr Charles Inguanez, Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Patrick Cassar, Director External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the absence of Hon. Michael Frendo who is attending the Commonwealth Secretary General elections for which he is candidate. The main issues discussed were the developments in the EU and the challenges it faces. The situation in the Middle East and Malta’s relation with the Arab world were also discussed, especially with regard to Malta’s role in bridging the gap between the EU and the Arab world. On bilateral issues, the Maltese side thanked Saudi Arabia for the support given to Malta in the 70s and 80s which helped Malta’s economic development. More recently there has been the ratification of a general cooperation agreement which should act as the launching pad for technical cooperation and dialogue. The next steps would be to conclude a double taxation agreement in order to attract new investment, investment guarantees and the conclusion of an air services agreement. The latter would enable better tourism exchange.
Committee Meeting with Delegation from Saudi Arabia
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PART 2: THE ROLE OF THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Since Malta’s accession to the European Union in May 2004, the Maltese Parliament has been entrusted with a more direct role in the monitoring of the European Union decision-making process by scrutinising the EU’s pipeline acquis through the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. This new parliamentary function aims to establish a stronger link between Maltese citizens and their democratically elected representatives on the one hand, and the decision-making institutions of the European Union on the other, thus increasing the transparency, accountability and parliamentary awareness of how new EU legislation is negotiated and implemented.
The Maltese Parliament set up the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs on 8 October 2003 by way of Motion 67, which amended the setting up of ‘The Committee on Foreign Affairs’ to incorporate the added responsibility related to European Affairs. Apart from referring to the main tasks of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of dealing with matters related to foreign and European affairs and to represent the House at the COSAC, Standing Order 120F also stipulates the exact responsibilities of the SCFEA related to the scrutiny of EU documents. In particular, Standing Order 120F stipulates that in the context of European Union issues and measures to be taken by the Council of Ministers of the European Union, the SCFEA shall scrutinise on its own initiative: − Any proposals under the Community treaties for legislation by the Council or the Council acting jointly with the European Parliament; − Any document which is published for submission to the European Council, the Council or the European Central Bank; − Any proposal for a common strategy, a joint action or a common position under Title V of the Treaty of European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council or to the European Council; − Any proposal for a common position, framework decision or a convention under Title VI of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council; − Any document that is not listed above, which is published by one Union institution and which does not relate exclusively to the consideration of any proposal for legislation;
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− Any other document relating to European Union matters placed on the Table of the House by any Minister.
The main purpose of the scrutiny procedure is to contribute to the law-making process by presenting a detailed analysis according to their legal or political importance of documents originating from the European Union and deposited in Parliament, by highlighting difficulties and by examining Government’s role in negotiating and agreeing upon European legislation. Subsequently, a decision is taken whether a particular document should be debated in more detail or cleared without further debate. The determination of political importance depends upon the sensitivity of the subject matter, the financial implications, or the likely impact on the Maltese economy whilst importance related to legal aspects may arise due to doubtful legal basis, an unsupported affirmation by the Commission of powers to act, difficulties of drafting or the impact on existing law.
THE WORK OF THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE IN 2007
The scrutiny system adopted by the Maltese Parliament is document-based and modelled on the UK House of Commons scrutiny procedure. Its focal point is the examination of European Union documents as outlined in Standing Order 120F and the Government’s position on the matter. Such documents include both legislative and non-legislative proposals. Legislative proposals include Proposals for Decisions of the Council, Proposals for Regulations, Proposals for Directives, Framework Decisions as well as budgetary documents. The current scrutiny procedure endorses other documents that are at later stages of legislation such as Amended Proposals for Council Decisions and Directives, Presidency Compromise Proposals or Amendments proposed by the European Parliament. Apart from these types of documents, the Committee also considers non-legislative Proposals published by European Union Institutions in the form of Declarations, Resolutions and Conclusions, Communications, Action Programmes, Guidelines, Commission Reports and Opinions, draft Council Recommendations, Green Papers and White Papers. These documents are in general not legally binding; nonetheless, they may later be followed up by detailed legislative proposals when endorsed by the Council. Other documents that are not included in the above-mentioned categories mainly refer to general Reports of the Court of Auditors, as well as the special reports on particular areas of expenditure.
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It should be noted that the Committee is also entrusted with scrutinising Proposals falling under Title V of the European Union Treaty, which refer to the EU’s inter- governmental Common Foreign and Security Policy (EU’s Second Pillar) but to this day no debates on these types of documents were held. The scrutiny of documents included under Title VI of the EC Treaty concerning the EU’s inter-governmental action related to police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters, also known as the EU’s third pillar also fall within the remit of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. The Committee can also scrutinise documents relating to EU matters deposited by any Minister, however, the latter depends on the discretion of the Government and includes documents that would not otherwise have been subject to the scrutiny process.
The Working Groups
The three working groups that are engaged in parliamentary scrutiny of the EU pipeline acquis – Working Group 1, Working Group 2 and Working Group 3 – fall within the remit of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. In addition, the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, which primarily deals with all matters relating to social policy, including social assistance and family matters, can also be requested to function in scrutiny mode and scrutinise specific documents that may be referred to it.
The main function of Working Group 1 is to examine the EU pipeline acquis in preliminary scrutiny, that is to determine those documents of political or legal importance and to reach a decision on whether a particular document should be cleared without reserve or referred for debate at the plenary Committee, Working Group 2, Working Group 3 or the Social Affairs Committee. Working Group 1, which is composed of four members, is chaired by the Hon Jason Azzopardi. The members appointed on behalf of Government are the Hon Michael Gonzi and the Hon Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando whilst the Hon Leo Brincat and the Hon George Vella are assigned from the Opposition.
The set-up of Working Group 2 rests upon the same principles of Working Group 1 whereby two members are appointed on behalf of Government and other two members on behalf of the Opposition. Working Group 2 is chaired by the Hon
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Michael Gonzi who is assisted by the Hon Leo Brincat and the Hon Charles Mangion on behalf of the Opposition, and the Hon Robert Arrigo and the Minister responsible for the acquis on behalf of Government. An ad hoc member from Government and another from the Opposition are also appointed to participate in the discussion held during the meetings. The areas of competences falling under the remit of Working Group 2 relate to economic and monetary affairs, taxation, research, employment, education and culture, transport and energy, budget, regional policy, internal market, and customs union.
Working Group 3 is similar in structure to Working Group 2, with the Hon Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando being appointed as Chairman of this Working Group and Hon Joseph Falzon and the Minister responsible for the acquis appointed from the Government, whilst the Hon Joe Abela and the Hon George Vella are the members appointed on behalf of the Opposition. An ad hoc member from the Government side and another from the Opposition party are also called upon to assist in the scrutiny procedure. Working Group 3 is engaged in the scrutiny of issues related to health and consumer protection, development and humanitarian aid, rural development, fisheries, justice and home affairs and the environment.
The plenary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs may also be engaged in the scrutiny of topics related to constitutional affairs, enlargement, development, external relations and trade, enterprise and information society, and competition.
The Social Affairs Committee, chaired by the Hon Clyde Puli, and composed of three members from Government and three members from the Opposition, may also be requested to assist in the scrutiny of documents of particular relevance for Malta’s social policy.
The Scrutiny Process
The scrutiny process adopted by the Maltese Parliament is triggered by the receipt of an Explanatory Memorandum from government. This is followed by the preliminary examination of EU legislative and non-legislative proposals by Working Group 1 at which point the Members reach a decision on whether or not a particular document warrants additional analysis; if in the affirmative the proposal is referred to the relevant working group, the plenary Foreign and European Affairs Committee or the
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Social Affairs Committee. The Chairman of the respective Working Group then convenes a meeting for which the Minister responsible for the acquis is expected to attend. The current scrutiny procedure obliges the Minister, who may also be accompanied by experts on the issue under discussion, to provide additional oral evidence on any queries made by the Committee Members regarding a particular document. If no further scrutiny is required the document is cleared. When the documents are cleared from scrutiny, the Chairman of the Standing Committee tables the entire relevant document in the House. Subsequently, all documents including the EU pipeline acquis , the Minister’s Explanatory Memorandum and the final brief prepared by the Research Analysts are made accessible through the Committee’s website. 2 Appendix 5 presents a diagrammatical representation of the scrutiny process adopted by the Maltese House of Representatives.
The relevant Minister may not take a definite position on a document which has been deposited in Parliament but has not yet been cleared from scrutiny by the relevant working group. This proviso is similar to the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution applicable in the UK House of Commons which similarly constrains to give agreement in the Council on any proposal which is still under scrutiny or is awaiting consideration by the House. In both the UK and the Maltese systems this proviso is not legally binding, however, the undertaking ensures that the Ministers exercise political discipline. This proviso should only be lifted in limited special cases. The Ministers and officials from related departments are required to provide additional Explanatory Memoranda and to respond to the Committee’s request for further information regarding queries related to dossiers which are still under scrutiny.
Since January Working Group 1 considered a total of 350 new memoranda that have been deposited in Parliament. The documents comprised Commission Communications, Reports, Staff Working Papers, White Papers and Green Papers as well as Proposals for Council Decisions, Directives and Regulations, Draft Framework Decisions, and Amended proposals for Directives, amongst others.
Working Group 1 met 9 times during the twelve months to December 2007, and scrutinised a total of 350 new EU legislative and non-legislative proposals. On the other hand, Working Group 2 did not meet in 2007, whereas Working Group 3 was convened once. The Social Affairs Committee was called upon seven times in order
2 The Committee’s website is accessible through http://www.parliament.gov.mt 40
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to consider and scrutinise the EU pipeline acquis . Since the Committee’s inception in May 2004, a total of 1,144 proposals and other EU documents have been examined. The following is a comprehensive breakdown of the EU documents scrutinised:
Cleared documents − 353 documents were cleared by Working Group 1; − 2 documents were cleared by Working Group 3; − 4 documents have been cleared by the Social Affairs Committee;
Documents pending debate − 28 new documents will appear on the agenda of Working Group 1 for the first time; − 25 documents have been retained on the agenda of Working Group 1; − 1 document has been referred to Working Group 2; − 1 document has been referred to the Social Affairs Committee;
PARTICIPATION IN IPEX
Following last year’s initiative, apart from scrutinising EU proposals, the SCFEA also participated in IPEX – the Interparliamentary EU Information Exchange – which is the result of a recommendation made by the Conference of the Speakers of the European Union Parliaments in Rome in 2000. The objective of IPEX is to support Interparliamentary cooperation in the European Union by providing a platform for the electronic exchange of EU-related information between parliaments. The project was launched in Brussels in June 2006.
Although, all national parliaments of the EU Member States have up till now put in place scrutiny procedures to reinforce democratic control over EU matters, the mechanisms adopted vary between one Member State and another. In this regard, the IPEX project seeks to increase the transparency of the various procedures as it allows national parliaments to access each other’s documents on a pan-European website, thus permitting cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences. Apart from the website, IPEX has a network of correspondents who are responsible for maintaining the corresponding national web pages. The ‘IPEX dossier’ is the focal point of the IPEX website. Each specific dossier contains documents relevant to the scrutiny activities by the National Parliaments of the EU 25 Member States concerning a specific EU legislative proposal. National parliaments may hence indicate their 41
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concerns – on subsidiarity or other issues – on each proposal through the use of an online scoreboard mechanism. This feature would serve as an early warning system for the Commission regarding proposals that do not enjoy support from Member States.
To date the IPEX website has been updated to reflect the scrutiny work being carried out by the Maltese Parliament with respect to each EU legislative proposal. In March 2007, the IPEX Correspondent of the House of Representatives also circulated the Maltese version of the IPEX information brochure to all the Members of the House, the Maltese MEPs and to the Directors responsible for EU Affairs in each of the Ministries.
VISITS ABROAD BY THE COMMITTEE STAFF
The past year has provided various opportunities for the Research Analysts to participate in and attend a number of meetings and conferences in other EU Member States. These exchanges prove not only to be insightful for the Committee staff but also offer the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and experience related directly to their main areas of responsibility.
COSAC – Portugal/Germany
In February 2007, one of the Committee’s Research Analysts accompanied the Hon Clyde Puli to the first COSAC chairpersons’ meeting for the current year, held in Berlin. The meetings focused on the prospects of cooperation between the Commission and national parliaments, the issues of migration and integration as well as on the subsidiarity and proportionality checks undertaken by COSAC in 2006. The Research Analyst also attended the XXVIII COSAC meetings held under the Portuguese Presidency. The chairpersons’ meeting held in July 2007 in Lisbon focused mainly on the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency and the Lisbon Strategy. In October of the same year, during the plenary meeting, COSAC discussed the appointment and co-financing of the permanent representative of the COSAC secretariat, the ‘Reform Treaty’ as well as the EU Mediterranean Dimension.
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IPEX – Copenhagen
One of the research analysts attached to the Foreign and European Affairs Committee also participated in the annual meeting of IPEX Correspondents, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in January 2007. The main issues discussed during the meeting were the developments in IPEX in 2006 including training sessions on the new features as well as the promotion of IPEX within national parliaments. The work programme for IPEX in 2007 was presented at the end of the meeting.
European Commission – Brussels
One of the Research Analysts accompanied the FEAC delegation to the European Commission on 14 June. Meetings were held with Commissioners Borg, Almunia and Piebalgs, as well as with senior officials from the Cabinets of Vice President of the Commission Verheugen and Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. The main issues discussed during these meetings were an EU policy for the EU, Malta’s adoption of the Euro and Convergence Report, the Kyoto targets and the use of biofuels, and the situation in the Middle East.
MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE STAFF
In 2007 the Research Analysts of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee continued to hold regular meetings with the staff at the EU Secretariat within the Office of the Prime Minister. The EU Secretariat coordinates the preparatory work for the Cabinet Committee on EU Affairs and the Inter-Ministerial Committee for EU Affairs. The Secretariat is responsible for ensuring that these bodies are in a position to take the required decisions about any EU-related matter. The Secretariat is also responsible for ensuring Malta’s effective and active participation in Ministerial Councils, committees, working parties and working groups of the EU, particularly in terms of coordinating the preparation of consolidated positions for such meetings that are in line with national policy. The thrust of these meetings is to explore ways in which communication between the EU Secretariat and the FEAC staff can be enhanced and thereby contributing to a smoother parliamentary scrutiny process.
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In 2007 the Research Analysts held their first meeting with the Research Analysts of the Forum Malta fl-Ewropa , the national reference point on EU-related affairs. Forum's three main areas of competence are the dissemination of information on EU- related developments, the facilitation of consultation with stakeholders on EU-related issues and support and awareness with regard to access to EU funding opportunities. The discussions concerned the different but complementary roles of the two bodies and how the available resources can be shared to enhance the work of both parties.
A first for 2007 was the fact that members of staff attached to European Affairs Committees from another Member State visited the Maltese Parliament on a study visit. Two Advisors to the Committee on European Affairs from the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania attended a two-day study visit with the Research Analysts attached to the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in order to get acquainted with the scrutiny model of EU affairs of the Maltese Parliament. This visit was proposed by the Chairman of the Committee during the visit of the FEAC delegation to Lithuania in 2006. During the visit, the Lithuanian Advisors had the opportunity to learn how the EU scrutiny function of the Maltese Parliament operates especially on a day-to-day basis. A meeting with the staff at the EU Secretariat was also held, during which the parliamentary scrutiny function as part of the EU legislative process was discussed.
STRENGTHS OF THE COMMITTEE IN 2007
Since the reconstitution of the Committee as Foreign and European Affairs Committee in 2003, each year has been one full of achievements built on experiences gained in the previous years.
The matters discussed during the Committee meetings were wide-ranging comprising exchanges with Ambassadors, academics and experts in various fields. The vast majority of the meetings were held in public and were also streamed over the internet. Closed meetings were limited to those issues of a sensitive nature, where a discussion in public could jeopardise the interest of Malta.
The continuation of a document-based EU scrutiny system of pipeline legislation ensured increased transparency and accountability, in that the Government position on each EU proposed legislation is forwarded for Parliament’s scrutiny and approval.
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Those items deemed to require further in-depth scrutiny in view of their legal and/or political importance were referred to the competent Working Group for deeper analysis complemented with a process of written or oral questioning of Government until the Committee Members have sufficient information in order to reach a decision on a particular document.
All decisions taken were arrived at by way of consensus; there has never been the need for a vote to be taken both in the plenary Committee meetings and also in the Working Groups.
In the interest of transparency and accountability documents pertaining to the scrutiny process of pipeline legislation are tabled in the House after clearance from scrutiny. These are subsequently made available on the Parliament’s website and also entered in the IPEX database, which is shared by the national parliaments of all the Member States.
The Committee’s staff held regular meetings with governmental bodies involved in the preparation of the Government’s position on draft EU legislation and also those responsible for communication with civil society on such issues.
PLANS FOR 2008
This report is the last one to be presented in the Tenth Legislature by the Committee, which has remained unchanged both in composition and procedures since its formation. This set-up cannot be assured for the coming legislature, where changes in the Committee can be reasonably expected. Consequently, the plans for the coming year cannot be made at this point in time. However, the success achieved by the Committee in the past four years cannot be denied and one therefore assumes that future setups and plans will be principally based on the progress made and experience gained to date.
CONCLUSION
As in previous years, both the Foreign and European Affairs Committee and the Working Groups have had a busy schedule, as evidenced by the number of meetings
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held and other activities the Committees and their staff were involved in. To keep up with the increasing workload, certain Working Groups had to be convened when the Parliament was in recess.
The array of topics dealt with by the Foreign and European Affairs Committee bears witness to the vast range of areas that fall within its remit, which covers EU related issues as well as matters of general foreign policy. Furthermore, the visits to Italy, the Gulf States of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and India have helped to foster the relationships between the Maltese parliament and the respective parliaments; at the same time they have helped to enhance bilateral relations at Government level.
The progress made by the Committee in 2007 would not have been possible without the perseverance and good work of all those involved: the Chairmen and Members of the Committees and Working Groups, the Research Analysts and the administrative staff of the House.
This will be the last Annual Report presented by the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in its first legislature. Without the hard work of those involved the progress achieved to date would not have been possible. One hopes that the successes achieved by this Committee in its first years of existence can be replicated in the coming legislature.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES , MALTA 2007
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APPENDIX 1 - STANDING ORDER 120F SETTING UP THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
120F. (1) The Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs shall consist of not more than nine members of whom five shall constitute a quorum. The members shall be chosen so as fairly to represent the House in general and the proportion of Government and Opposition members in particular:
Provided that the Government members appointed on the Standing Committee shall include the Minister for Foreign Affairs who shall have the right to participate and to vote:
Provided further that members of the European Parliament elected from Malta shall have the right to participate in the work of the Standing Committee but shall not have the right to vote or to move motions and amendments.
(2) The Chairperson of the Committee shall be nominated by the Leader of the House from amongst the members representing the Government side, provided that any member of the Committee may, at any time, be appointed by the Leader of the House to act as Chairperson in case of the unavoidable absence of the Chairperson.
(3) The Standing Committee shall have the power to appoint select sub-committees and to delegate any of its functions to such sub-committees:
Provided that the composition of any sub-committee appointed by the Standing Committee shall be determined by the Standing Committee so as fairly to represent the House in general and the proportion of Government and Opposition members in particular.
(4) Subject to what is stated in this Standing Order, the provisions of paragraphs (3) and (4) of Standing Order 120B shall mutatis mutandis apply to the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs.
(5) The Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs shall have the following functions:
(i) to deal with matters relating to foreign and European Union affairs which may be referred to it by the House or by the Standing Committee on House Business;
(ii) in the context of European Union issues and measures to be taken by the Council of Ministers of the European Union, to scrutinise on its own initiative –
(a) any proposals under the Community treaties for legislation by the Council or the Council acting jointly with the European Parliament;
(b) any document which is published for submission to the European Council, the Council or the European Central Bank;
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(c) any proposal for a common strategy, a joint action or a common position under Title V of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council or to the European Council;
(d) any proposal for a common position, framework, decision or a convention under Title VI of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council;
(e) any document (not falling within (b), (c) or (d) above) which is published by one Union institution and which does not relate exclusively to the consideration of any proposal for legislation;
(f) any other document relating to European Union matters placed on the Table of the House by any Minister;
(iii) to represent the House of Representatives of Malta at the Conference of European Affairs Committees (COSAC).
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APPENDIX 2 - FORMAL MEETINGS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
MEETING 98 – 14 DECEMBER 2006
Meeting with Mr Bechir Tekkari, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Tunisia
The Tunisian Minister explained that the main purpose of his visit to Malta was to sign an Extradition Agreement with his Maltese counterpart, the Hon Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and Home Affairs. The Tunisian Minister and Committee Members expressed the opinion that this agreement was another positive sign of the good level of cooperation that existed between the two neighbouring countries when one considered the efforts underway to possibly carry out joint oil exploration activities and the increased activity in tourism between the two countries. At parliamentary level the two countries have a friendship group to maintain a close relationship and at regional level both countries have cooperated at the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), which forms part of the Barcelona Process, and have worked together towards the setting up of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM). The Members of the Committee took the opportunity to thank Tunisia for supporting Malta’s bid to host the secretariat of the PAM.
Dr Tanya Vella, Ambassador of Malta to Tunisia, also took part in this meeting.
MEETING 99 – 10 JANUARY 2007
Meeting with Dr Gabriella Pace, Chief Executive Officer at the Forum Malta fl-Ewropa
Dr Pace explained that this new Office has taken over the roles previously assigned to the Malta-EU Information Centre (MIC) and to the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC). The main aims of this Office are to provide information on the European Union, to consult with civil society and to encourage and assist the private sector to make full use of EU funds.
Dr Pace further explained that the Forum organises seminars and conferences, informs interested parties with Commission legislative proposals by electronic means, sets up sub-committees to monitor what takes place at the various ministerial councils and runs a scheme of financial assistance through a transparent process.
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Committee Members expressed their appreciation for the work being carried out by the Forum Malta fl-Ewropa and remarked that the Forum should endeavour to simplify the application procedures for EU funds and take follow up action on EU- funded projects. This will help ascertain that funds are utilised on useful projects and properly employed. Moreover it was suggested that this Office seek further collaboration with other organisations so as to avoid duplication of work and maximisation of resources available.
MEETING 100 – 17 JANUARY 2007
Meeting with Mr Joseph FX Zahra, Chairman of the National Euro Changeover Committee (NECC)
Mr Joseph F X Zahra explained that the main goals of NECC. These include the necessary preparations so that the Euro changeover will take place as smoothly as possible and that the new currency will be well received by all sections of the population. The NECC is part of a larger structure comprising the Cabinet, the Steering Committee presided upon by the Hon Tonio Fenech, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bank of Malta.
The communication strategy of the Committee includes a wide consultation process, a telephone information service, the engagement of seventy euro assistants to assist on the spot people involved in commerce and other activities, the launch of the ‘FAIR’ initiative and the distribution of training kits comprising a calculator and plastic money. During January 2008 both the Euro and the Maltese Lira would be in circulation and dual pricing will continue until June 2008, whereas banks would exchange the Maltese Lira to Euro up to April 2008. The Central Bank would continue to exchange Maltese Lira into Euro for a ten year period during which no bank charges would be imposed.
France and Austria, who have already been through this experience, have assisted the Committee throughout the changeover process.
Mention was also made of the legislation provided for a system of warnings in case on non-conformity with the central parity rate, after which, sanctions would be applied against abusers.
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Meeting with HE Gideon Meir, Ambassador of Israel to Malta
The Ambassador explained how the relations between the two countries should be strengthened by stepping up contacts not only at the political level but also at other levels, e.g. parliamentary, economic and cultural levels. Another area of mutual interest would be research in and application of alternative energy sources.
Over the years Israel has changed its policy in respect of the Middle East from a one- state solution to a two-state solution. It was noted that the policy of the EU on the Middle East has recently become more balanced. The Ambassador argued that the terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians had necessitated the building of the wall and the setting up of checkpoints which are causing hardship to the Palestinian people. The Ambassador added that Israel was taking measures to reduce checkpoints. He acknowledged that there were extremists on both sides and that Israel was prepared to negotiate with moderate forces in the region and that the international community should embark on projects with the aim of improving the economy of the Palestinian Territories and thus reduce extremism and violence.
The Committee members expressed various views on the Middle East and bilateral relations with Israel, amongst which:
that political parties represented in Parliament have maintained a common policy on the Middle East, that is, a two-state solution with the Palestinians having a state of their own and with Israel having safe borders;
certain statements by Iran in respect of Israel were unacceptable;
the concern over the hardship that the Palestinian people had to endure as a result of the construction of the wall, the numerous checkpoints and the violence that was taking place; and
that both sides should engage in discussions that would eventually lead to a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict which has been afflicting the region for so many years.
Mr Rami Hatan, Counsellor, accompanied the Ambassador.
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MEETING 101 - 30 JANUARY 2007
Meeting with Delegation from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels
Mr Duncan Pescod, Head of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, together with Ms Mandy Wong, Ms Candy Nip and Mr Mark Neirynck from the same Office attended this meeting.
Mr Duncan Pescod considered this meeting as an introductory visit to Malta. Mr Pescod discussed the various similarities between Malta and Hong Kong, such as the limited territory, the problem of waste management and their well developed sectors of financial services and tourism.
The Committee Members shared the views expressed by Mr Pescod and added that there was room for improvement in the relations between the two sides especially in the economic and cultural sectors. Moreover, both parties agreed that the best way to achieve this was to establish and maintain relations at various levels.
Meeting with HE Karl Andreas von Stenglin, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, on the Work Programme of the German Presidency of the European Union between January and June 2007
HE Karl Andreas von Stenglin centred his discussion on the main issues on the agenda of the German Presidency of the European Union, including:
economic growth and how this could be strengthened by the competitiveness of European enterprises, better regulation, promotion of research and development and guaranteeing a secure and competitive energy supply;
the European social model as a tool to shape Europe’s social future giving particular attention to equal opportunities, demographic change, employment and the health sector;
emphasis would be laid on the fight against terrorism, promotion of inter- cultural and inter-religious dialogue, border control and a coherent asylum and migration policy in the area of justice and security; and
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shaping a common foreign and security policy in line with the 2003 European Security Strategy, the enlargement of the EU and the expansion of the European area of security and stability through its Neighbourhood Policy and the role of the EU in international affairs.
The discussion continued on the subject of bilateral relations between Malta and Germany which were described as very sound. The Maltese side acknowledged that foreign investment from Germany over the years had contributed significantly towards Malta’s economic development.
MEETING 102 - 19 FEBRUARY 2007
Presentation by HE President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici on the role of the European Commission for Democracy through Law known as the Venice Commission
HE Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici gave an overview of the composition, the role and the functions of the Venice Commission. Among other things, Dr Mifsud Bonnici explained that the Venice Commission was composed of a member from each of the forty-six member states represented at the Council of Europe and that its members were independent experts who have achieved eminence through their experience in democratic institutions or by their contribution to the enhancement of law and political science.
The Commission acted as an advisory body to the Council of Europe on constitutional matters and had played a leading role in the adoption of constitutions that conform to Europe’s constitutional tradition and in the dissemination of Europe’s fundamental legal values based on the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
In its primary task of advising individual states on constitutional issues, the Commission sought to carry out a democratic audit of laws and structures and not an audit on democracy itself in the particular country.
Other work carried out by the Commission included the definition of principles applicable to democratic elections, the setting up of a centre to collect and disseminate constitutional case-law and the holding of seminars and conferences with constitutional courts.
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MEETING 103 – 16 APRIL 2007
Meeting with the Mr Anton Kokalj, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Slovenia
Mr Kokalj was accompanied by Dr Zvonko Bergant, Secretary of the European Affairs Committee of Slovenia. The Mr Kokalj explained that the Government of Slovenia has for long been preparing and reinforcing its administrative capacity to meet the demands of running the European Union Presidency. He further explained that the present mechanism of having an 18-month work programme involving three presidencies provided for more coordination and continuation, in fact, most of the issues are brought over from one presidency to another.
The Committee and the Slovenian delegation discussed issues which were expected to feature as priorities on the Slovenian programme, among them, enlargement, energy policy, inter-cultural dialogue, the Lisbon Strategy and the future of Europe, which issue was expected to assume greater importance in the first six months of 2008 since it was desirable to settle this issue prior to the 2009 European Parliament election.
MEETING 104 - 17 APRIL 2007
Meeting with Delegation from the Senate and House of Representatives of Australia
The delegation was composed of the Hon Paul Calvert, Head of Delegation and President of the Senate, the Hon Bernie Ripoll, the Hon Ian Causley, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Warren Entsch, Senator Andrew Murray and Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
The issues discussed included bilateral relations, the close ties that existed between the two countries as a result of the large number of Maltese who have settled in Australia especially in the 1950s and 1960s, the problems posed by illegal migration, and the involvement of Australia in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Meeting with Delegation from Australia
MEETING 105 - 26 APRIL 2007
Presentation by the Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding travel abroad on official business
The Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, reported that during the period January to March 2007 he made twenty trips abroad on Government business. In particular, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that with regard to European Union affairs he travelled four times to take part in meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC), once to attend the Bremen Meeting and on another instance to accompany the Prime Minister at the European Council Meeting.
During the period in which Malta held the Presidency of the Commonwealth the Minister reported that he travelled twice to London and on another occasion to India.
Minister Frendo visited Libya twice, Algeria and Washington, USA on issues of a bilateral nature.
During the discussion that followed, the issues of the situation in the Middle East, Kosovo and Zimbabwe, climate change and renewable energy, terrorism in the Maghreb, the Central European Forum, EU-Arab League structured dialogue and, 55
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with the United States of America, the issue of visas, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the ship boarding agreement and double taxation agreement were raised.
Presentation by the Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs
MEETING 106 - 30 APRIL 2007
Meeting with Mr Richard Cachia Caruana, Permanent Representative of Malta to the European Union on the Work Programme of the German Presidency, the Commission Legislative and Work Programme 2007 and the 18-month programme of the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies
The Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave an overview of some of the priorities featured in the 18-month programme, namely, the Constitutional Treaty; the Lisbon Strategy with regard to simpler and better regulation, energy policy, competitiveness, research and development; justice and home affairs, the enhancement of the EU’s role in international affairs; climate change and Neighbourhood Policy.
On questions put forward by the Members, the discussion centred on infringement procedures initiated or that were being contemplated by the Commission against the Maltese Government on the alleged infringements relating to the :
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Birds Directive with regard to hunting and trapping;
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive in connection with the building areas rationalisation exercise;
Landfills Directive on the waste management regulations; and
emissions from vehicles and power stations.
MEETING 107 - 9 MAY 2007
Meeting with the Delegation from the Foreign and European Affairs Committees of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania
The delegation from Lithuania was led by Dr Justinas Karosas, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and was made up of Mr Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Ms Aldona Staponkiene and Ms Jadvyga Zinkeviciute, Members of the European Affairs Committee.
The Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee thanked the Lithuanian delegation, especially Dr Justinas Karosas for his active role in the resettlement of six asylum seekers from Malta which process started as a result of the visit to Lithuania by a delegation from the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in June 2006.
Matters discussed in the course of this meeting, included:
a) the EU Neighbourhood Policy with special reference to third countries in the East of Europe and in the Mediterranean region; b) energy, especially in view of Europe’s reliance on gas and oil supplies from Russia and the problems that were faced in this regard in the recent past; c) the talks that were taking place and the hurdles that were being faced in connection with the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation, due to expire in 2007; d) enlargement in the light of growing resistance to new members joining in the near future, as in the case of Turkey, and, for the sake of stability in the region, to need to give a sign of hope to European countries, especially in the Balkans, that EU membership would take place provided they met the criteria set by the EU; and 57
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e) the need to come to some sort of agreement with regard to the Constitutional Treaty so as to give the EU the appropriate instrument to manage its affairs in a more efficient and effective manner.
MEETING 108 - 16 MAY 2007
Meeting with HE Ms Molly Bordonaro, Ambassador of the United States of America to Malta
The various issues discussed during this meeting with HE Bordonaro included:
i) bilateral relations, namely: (a) technical progress registered so far, especially the eventual introduction of biometric passports, is drawing Malta closer to meeting the requirements set in the roadmap of the Visa Waiver Programme; (b) the progress registered on the technical aspects of drawing up a Double Taxation Agreement and the visit in April 2007 to the US of representatives from the Finance Ministry of Malta; (c) the resettlement of 30 asylum seekers from Malta in the US and the decision that had been taken to considerably increase the intake of asylum seekers from Malta, which decision was going to be officially communicated within days; (d) joint University Masters Degree involving the University of Malta and US universities in specialised and unique areas of study; (e) the provision of equipment and the training of personnel on coast guard duties; (f) the cooperation extended by the Maltese Authorities to the construction of the new US Embassy in Malta which was expected to be completed by 2009 or 2010;
(ii) security in the Mediterranean with the conclusion of the Ship Boarding Agreement, the multi international effort taking place in the ‘Operation Act and Endeavour’ (OAE), the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies located in Malta and the ongoing Mediterranean dialogue taking place within the Barcelona Process and the OSCE;
(iii) transatlantic relations;
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(iv) certain aspects of the relations with Russia, Iran and Syria; and
(v) the situation in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan.
At this meeting the US Ambassador was accompanied by Ms Monica Cummings, Policy Officer at the US Embassy.
MEETING 109 - 18 MAY 2007
Meeting with Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, on the theme: Towards a Maritime Policy for the European Union
The guest speaker at this meeting was Dr Joe Borg, Member of the European Commission, who was accompanied by Dr Joanna Drake, Head of the European Commission Representation in Malta, and Ms Ella Strickland, cabinet member.
The discussions between the Members of Committee and Commissioner Borg focused primarily on:
(a) the consultation process that took place during the twelve month period prior and following the issue of the Green Paper on the Future Maritime Policy of the EU in June 2006;
(b) the coordination of the various sectors at EU level by the Steering Committee made up ten commissioners and chaired by Commissioner Borg;
(c) the pilot projects and initiatives, termed as short term deliverables, that were expected to be taken hand, among them, action against irregular fishing, better coordination among research institutes, the promotion of best practice as is the case with the Dutch model of port management and spatial planning with the mapping of the seabed and sea surface;
(d) certain proposals that were giving rise to concern, such as a shipping register for the EU, the representation of the EU at the International Maritime Organisation, common maritime policy, an EU coast guard and seafarers work conditions; and
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(e) the need to have an integrated policy - not to have a one-size-fits-all policy - and to work in collaboration with all stakeholders and with neighbouring countries to ensure effective policy planning and implementation.
MEETING 110 – 29 MAY 2007
Meeting with Mr Jo Leinen, Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament
Mr Jo Leinen, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, based his presentation on his report titled ‘Proposal for a solution to the Constitutional Crisis’ which was published on 10 March 2007. The main points raised during the discussion were:
the proposal that Parts I and IV of the proposed Constitution Treaty about the values, objectives, institutions and competencies of the European Union be incorporated in shorter text of 70 articles which would be easily understandable and proposed to be known as the ‘Fundamental Treaty of the European Union’;
the proposal that the full text of Part II of the Constitutional Treaty regarding the Charter of Fundamental Rights be included in a protocol and given legal force by means of an article in the proposed Fundamental Treaty;
the proposal that Part III of the Constitutional Treaty concerning the policies of the European Union would be included in a separate treaty based on the Nice Treaty though amended in the light of the new provisions of Part III of the Constitutional Treaty; and
the meetings which were scheduled at different levels to debate the pending issues with regard to the proposed Constitutional Treaty.
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MEETING 111 - 20 JUNE 2007
Presentation by HE Nicholas Archer, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Malta on the theme: Cost Effective Diplomacy
In his introduction, the High Commissioner made reference to the traditional mission of British embassies, that is, to maintain and strengthen bilateral relations. This role has in recent years been going through institutional change. His Excellency explained that the Foreign Office has recently been giving each embassy a number of issues specific to that particular country or region and that the pay packet of the high commissioner has been tied to the embassy’s performance in reaching these set goals. In the case of Malta, HE Mr Archer outlined the following four objectives:
i) to provide services to the needs of the British community resident in Malta, which stood at about 12,000, and of about 450,000 British tourists that visited Malta each year; ii) to contribute towards achieving the objectives set out by the European Union; iii) climate change, and iv) immigration.
The Committee expressed its gratitude to the British Government for the assistance it extended to Malta during the period that led to it becoming a Member of the European Union and the cooperation that continued thereafter.
MEETING 112 - 27 JUNE 2007
Presentation by Mr Marek Belka, Head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and former Prime Minister of Poland with the theme: strengthening economic cooperation in Europe
Mr Belka explained that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was one of five regional commissions which fell under the Economic and Social Council which in turn was one of the main six organs of the United Nations. In order to execute its functions, in 2008 the UNECE will have a budget of USD 55 million and a staff of 317at its disposal.
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The core functions of the UNECE were to promote policy dialogue, negotiate international legal instruments, develop regulations, norms and standards which were usually adopted by the EU and also globally, exchange and promote application of best practices, provide economic expertise and technical assistance to countries with economies in transition and produce about one hundred publications and hold numerous meetings.
Among the tangible activities of the UNECE one finds the setting of standards for agricultural products, the setting of standards and codes for the exchange of information between customs agencies, vehicle safety standards and the promotion of intellectual property issues.
Mr Belka referred also to the UN International Institute on Ageing which was set up in Malta in 1987 and which was charged with the organisation of training seminars for government officials in considering ageing issues in policy formulation.
MEETING 113 - 5 JULY 2007
Meeting with Jacques Barrot, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner responsible for Transport
Commissioner Barrot explained that the objectives of EU policies in the transport sector were mainly to improve the competitiveness of Europe’s businesses and to respond to the concerns of European citizens who are demanding better environmental protection, improved levels of safety and stronger consumer rights. He added that currently the transport sector accounted for 10% of the EU GDP and that it required sustained investment in technological innovation and more investment in infrastructure through projects such as the satellite navigation project ‘Galileo’ and the Trans-European Networks. Commissioner Barrot stressed that success in the transport sector depended heavily on the level of cooperation and coordination between the EU institutions, Member States and the business community.
Commissioner Barrot made special reference to sea and air transport which were of particular importance to Malta, since it was an island situated on the border of the EU. He also lauded Malta on having a large shipping register and on the action taken by Malta over a number of years to take this register out of the black list. Other issues that were raised included marine pollution, the airport passenger service
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charge, transparency with regard to port and airport charges and conditions of work of seafarers.
Dr John Attard Montalto, Member of the European Parliament, took part in the discussion.
MEETING 114 - 11 JULY 2007
Meeting with HE Antonio Augusto Russo Dias, Ambassador of Portugal to Malta, on the Work Programme of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, July to December 2007
In his presentation, HE Mr Russo Dias listed and elaborated upon four areas which were to be given priority by the Portuguese Presidency, namely the:-
reform of the European Union Treaties: the European Council Meeting held on 21-22 June 2007 in Brussels gave a mandate to the Presidency to draw up a draft text of the treaty and to submit it to the Inter- governmental Conference. The Conference was to meet by the end of July with the aim of concluding its work by the end of 2007 so as to allow enough time for the ratification of the Reform Treaty before the European Parliament Elections of June 2009;
modernisation of the economy and society: efforts were to be made to give more impetus to the Lisbon Strategy and to prepare for the launch of a new cycle. Emphasis was to be laid on taking measures to improve competitiveness through innovation, research, education, better regulation and access to financing; to create more and better jobs; to enhance solidarity through social inclusion, the fight against poverty and the reconciliation of work with personal and family life; and environment related issues such as the supply of energy and climate change;
strengthening freedom, security and justice: action was to be taken towards the implementation of a global approach to legal and illegal migration; the reinforcement of the European Union’s borders, especially in the Mediterranean; and combating terrorism; and
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role of the European Union in Global Issues: the Portuguese Presidency was to organise another EU/Africa summit after seven years; undertake a new approach towards the entire Mediterranean region; enhance relations across the Atlantic with the United States of America and Brazil and with other strategic partners such as China, India, Russia and the Ukraine. Moreover, active participation in global issues such as human trafficking, terrorism, organised crime, international trade and in hot areas like Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan was envisaged.
The Ambassador was accompanied by Dr Antonio Pinheiro Marques, Counsellor at the Portuguese Embassy.
MEETING 115 – 3 OCTOBER 2007
Meeting with Russian Delegation from the Region of St Petersburg
The Russian delegation was made up of Mr Vytaliy Nikolaevich Klimov, Chairman of the Commission for Legislature, International, Regional and Public Affairs, Mrs Zhanna Viktorovna Alexandrova, First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for External Economic and Inter-Regional Relations of the St Petersburg Regional Government, Dr Igor Onokov, Honorary Consul of Malta in St Petersburg, and Mr Sergey Pavlovich Zubrov, Secretary to the Honorary Consul.
The discussion between Committee Members and the Russian delegation focused on relations between Malta and the region of St Petersburg especially in the fields of tourism and culture. Both sides shared the view that they should promote cooperation in information technology and in twinning local towns and villages with others in the St Petersburg region.
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Meeting with Russian Delegation from the Region of St Petersburg
Presentation by the Hon Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs
In this meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs reported on the latest developments in Kosovo. The Minister explained that the position taken by Malta was that Kosovo should have a supervised independence backed by a resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations. However, a UN Security Council resolution, which would legitimise the process, was proving to be problematic as there was the likely possibility of it being vetoed. Therefore efforts were being made by the Troika, i.e. the United States of America, the European Union and the Russian Federation, and by the Six-Nation Contact Group to arrive at a solution that would be acceptable to all parties involved and that would lead to greater stability in the Balkan region. It was recognised that caution had to be exercised in the manner that if this issue were to be resolved it might have serious repercussions in other parts of Europe and the world.
Minister Frendo also reported on his travels abroad in connection with his candidature to the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth. This part of the discussion was held in camera .
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MEETING 116 - 8 OCTOBER 2007
French proposal on the setting up of a Union of Mediterranean States
The discussion was held in camera .
MEETING 117 - 17 OCTOBER 2007
Meeting with HE Jean-Marc Rives, Ambassador of France to Malta
The discussion between Committee Members and HE the French Ambassador focussed mainly on the following on bilateral relations between Malta and France. HE Mr Rives gave a detailed account of the initiatives and actions taken during the two years that he has served as ambassador in Malta especially in the organisation of cultural activities, the promotion of the French language, the grant of scholarships in specialised fields of study and the assistance extended to the Armed Forces of Malta and to the Malta Police Force. Mr Rives further explained that France was one of the main trading partners of Malta and that during his term of office there was an exchange of visits both at government and at parliamentary levels culminating in the meeting of the Prime Minister of Malta with President Chirac in Paris and the private visit in Malta by President Sarkozy soon after his election.
The role of France in European, Mediterranean and international affairs was also discussed. During this part of the discussion Committee Members emphasised that over the decades Malta had played a prominent role in promoting peace and stability in the Mediterranean region and that the recently constituted Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean should be integrated in the organisational and institutional framework of Union of Mediterranean States being proposed by French President Sarkozy. On his part, the Ambassador stated that it was not the intention to put aside such initiatives as the Five-plus-Five, the EuroMed Process and the Mediterranean Forum, but the purpose of French proposal was to give impetus to the dialogue on Mediterranean region and to implement concrete projects. Other topics covered were the Middle East and nuclear energy in the case of Iran and Libya.
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MEETING 118 – 29 OCTOBER 2007
Video Conference with Dr Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
This video conference was the first occasion for the High Representative to address a Parliamentary Committee of the House of Representatives of Malta. During the hour-long discussion, Dr Solana and Committee Members exchanged views on various issues, including:-
the Middle East: Dr Solana stated that as the Middle East Summit to be held in November 2007 in the United States of America and the International Donors’ Conference scheduled for December 2007 approached, he was sensing a feeling of optimism. He augured that tangible results would emerge and that failure should be ruled out;
Libya: Dr Solana agreed that Libya was an important partner both to Malta and to the EU and that following the resolution of the issues involving the Bulgarian nurses and the renunciation by Libya of arms of mass destruction, he was optimistic that Libya would be engaged in closer cooperation with the EU and the international community;
the nuclear programme of Iran: the EU was doing its utmost to arrive at a diplomatic solution of the issue arising from the nuclear programme undertaken by Iran and Dr Solana remarked that it was still possible to obtain the necessary assurances that the programme would serve only for peaceful purposes. Dr Solana added that other Arab countries, among them Egypt, Jordan and Libya, have expressed their intention to develop a nuclear programme for energy generating purposes;
the Malta Initiative: Dr Solana said that the Maltese proposal to set up a structured dialogue between the foreign ministers of EU Members States of the Mediterranean and of Arab League States was a positive initiative. He wished that the EU-Arab League dialogue should take place on a regular basis and that there should be a deepening of the relationship and that it should undertake concrete projects;
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the EU-Africa Summit: this summit was scheduled to take place in Lisbon in December 2007 and among the issues that would be discussed there would be illegal migration since most of the illegal immigrants entering Malta and the EU came from the African continent. Regarding Frontex, Dr Solana remarked that more resources were required from EU Member States in order to render it more effective; and
the Union of Mediterranean States: Dr Solana stated that the proposal put forward by the French Government was an interesting one, however, he remarked that so far information in this regard was rather limited and hence he was waiting for more details to emerge.
Video Conference with High Representative Javier Solana
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MEETING 119 – 14 NOVEMBER 2007
Meeting with Delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, led by Hon Flora Kadriu, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy
The delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, led by Hon Flora Kadriu comprised Mr Ogce Dzalevski, State Counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms Ljilja Trpkovska, Secretary of the Foreign Policy Committee.
The issue regarding the dispute about the official name of the country was one of the main items discussed. Due to the dispute with Greece regarding the constitutional name ‘Republic of Macedonia’, the United Nations and the European Union have so far referred to this country as former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia pending the resolution of this issue. Although there was a time when diplomatic relations were established with other countries using the reference name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this was no longer the case and diplomatic relations could be established only with countries that recognised its constitutional name. However, it was agreed that until this hurdle in establishing formal diplomatic relations would be overcome, contacts between the two countries should be encouraged in such sectors as, tourism, student and cultural exchanges and the training of public officers.
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s aspiration of joining the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation were also discussed. Malta supported the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s decision to eventually become a member of the EU and to undertake a programme of reforms towards that end. Malta deemed that the integration of the countries in the Western Balkans within the European Union was essential in order to increase prosperity and stability in this rather volatile region from which both Europe and the Mediterranean region stood to gain. It was noted that the Commission’s progress reports in respect of the Western Balkans referred to positive progress made by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with regard to the democratic process and the market economy and at the same time indicated that further measures were needed for the EU to eventually open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
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MEETING 120 – 19 NOVEMBER 2007
Meeting with Delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Majlis Ash Shura – Consultative Council – of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The delegation was made up of Dr. Sadakah Yahia Fadil, Chairman and Head of Delegation, Dr. Talal Mahmoud Dahi, Dr. Bandar Mohammad Al Eiban, Dr. Ibrahim Eissa Al Eissa, Dr. Abdullah Yahya Bukhary and Dr. Saeed Hamad Al Hagri, all Members of the Majlis Ash Shura, Mr. Mohammad Hamad Al Ibrahim, Director of Protocol, Mr. Anwar Ali Al Ghamdi, Director of the Committee, and Mr Mohammed Jadallah, First Secretary, Saudi Arabia Embassy in Rome.
With regard to bilateral cooperation both sides acknowledged the close cooperation that has existed between the two countries, especially the financial assistance given to Malta during the 1970s and 1980s. During the discussions it was further acknowledged that cooperation in various sectors could be enhanced, such as higher education, medical services, tourism, financial services and the teaching of English. This could be attained by negotiating further agreements under the General Agreement between the two countries which came into force in 2007.
With regard to international issues it was noted that over the years both Malta and Saudi Arabia have made efforts to promote peace and prosperity in their respective regions and have taken similar positions on various international issues, such as, the Middle East, Iraq, Lebanon, nuclear programmes and climate change. The Maltese side praised the Middle East plan by Saudi Arabia and shared the concerns of Saudi Arabia regarding the dangers brought about by the proliferation of nuclear arms and climate change.
On the issue of the ever-increasing price of petroleum the Maltese side stressed the negative affect that this development was having on Malta given that Malta relied completely on petroleum imports for its energy requirements. On the other hand the Saudi side attributed the rise in price of petroleum to speculation and tension in various parts of the world especially in the Middle East and the Gulf region and not to short supply. Another factor was the weak dollar, the currency in which petroleum was traded.
The two sides agreed that there should be a regular exchange of delegations, e.g. on an annual basis, between the Maltese Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and
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European Affairs and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Majlis Ash Shura of Saudi Arabia so as to maintain and strengthen existing relations.
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APPENDIX 3 - INFORMAL MEETINGS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON
FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS IN 2007
15 January Deputy Head of Mission at the Russian Embassy, Mr Valery M. Kochagin
29 January Meeting with Commander Brian Lisko, US Coast Guard Attaché, and Mr Phil Munaco, Defence and Naval Attaché
20 February Meeting during COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting in Vienna with Mr Grigore Petrenco, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration of Moldova
9 March Meeting with Mr Joe Kenely (Federation of Industries), Mr Vincent Farrugia (Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) and Mr Edgar Chircop (Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise) in connection with the FEAC visit to Gulf States
29 March Working Lunch with HE Nicholas Archer, British High Commissioner.
17 April Meeting with Mr Elazar Cohen, Minister Counsellor and Chargé d’Affaires at the Israeli Embassy
10 May Press Conference with Mr Justinas Karosas, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
15 June Meeting with Mr Rami Hatan, Counsellor for Political and External Relations, Israeli Embassy
10 October Meeting with HE D. P. Srivastava, Ambassador of India
28 November Meeting with Mr Elazar Cohen, Minister Counsellor and Chargé d’Affaires at the Israeli Embassy
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APPENDIX 4 – RECORD OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS 1995 - 2007
Foreign Affairs Committee Meetings since 1995
Legislature Meeting Date Total
7th Legislature 1 09 July 1995 2 19 July 1995 1995 2
3 17 January 1996 1996 1
8th Legislature 1 30 April 1997 2 13 May 1997 3 16 June 1997 4 17 June 1997 5 01 July 1997 6 15 July 1997 1997 6
7 06 April 1998 8 07 April 1998 9 29 April 1998 10 05 May 1998 11 12 May 1998 12 27 May 1998 9th Legislature 1 16 November 1998 1998 7
2 01 February 1999 3 08 February 1999 4 17 March 1999 5 11 May 1999 6 15 June 1999 7 16 June 1999 8 21 July 1999 9 25 October 1999 10 24 November 1999 1999 9
11 01 February 2000 12 09 February 2000 13 22 February 2000 14 13 March 2000 15 14 March 2000 16 27 March 2000 17 11 April 2000 18 06 June 2000 19 20 June 2000 20 24 June 2000 21 17 July 2000 22 11 October 2000 23 06 November 2000 2000 13
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24 06 February 2001 25 30 April 2001 26 15 May 2001 27 05 June 2001 28 19 June 2001 29 27 June 2001 30 18 July 2001 31 02 October 2001 32 06 November 2001 33 05 December 2001 2001 10
34 30 January 2002 35 11 February 2002 36 06 May 2002 37 14 May 2002 38 15 July 2002 39 22 July 2002 40 30 October 2002 2002 7
10th Legislature 1 01 July 2003 2 15 July 2003 1 21 October 2003 2 26 November 2003 3 16 December 2003 2003 5
4 26 January 2004 5 05 February 2004 6 01 March 2004 7 17 March 2004 8 12 May 2004 9 01 June 2004 10 10 June 2004 11 15 June 2004 12 12 July 2004 13 19 July 2004 14 20 October 2004 15 25 October 2004 16 27 October 2004 17 02 November 2004 18 12 November 2004 19 15 November 2004 20 16 November 2004 21 26 November 2004 22 03 December 2004 23 09 December 2004 2004 20
24 12 January 2005 25 18 January 2005 26 19 January 2005 27 02 February 2005 74
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28 07 February 2005 29 09 February 2005 30 16 February 2005 31 22 February 2005 32 25 February 2005 33 14 March 2005 34 11 April 2005 35 12 April 2005 36 13 April 2005 37 15 April 2005 38 02 May 2005 39 03 May 2005 40 06 May 2005 41 10 May 2005 42 11 May 2005 43 17 May 2005 44 18 May 2005 45 23 May 2005 46 25 May 2005 47 01 June 2005 48 02 June 2005 49 08 June 2005 50 13 June 2005 51 22 June 2005 52 04 July 2005 53 13 July 2005 54 19 July 2005 55 21 July 2005 56 31 August 2005 57 27 September 2005 58 05 October 2005 59 12 October 2005 60 19 October 2005 61 26 October 2005 62 02 November 2005 63 08 November 2005 64 16 November 2005 65 24 November 2005 66 07 December 2005 67 12 December 2005 2005 44
68 09 January 2006 69 11 January 2006 70 17 January 2006 71 18 January 2006 72 26 January 2006 73 08 February 2006 74 13 February 2006 75 15 February 2006
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76 28 February 2006 77 08 March 2006 78 15 March 2006 79 22 March 2006 80 03 April 2006 81 25 April 2006 82 03 May 2006 83 24 May 2006 84 21 June 2006 85 23 June 2006 86 10 July 2006 87 12 July 2006 88 14 July 2006 89 19 July 2006 90 26 July 2006 91 04 October 2006 92 24 October 2006 93 01 November 2006 94 08 November 2006 95 15 November 2006 96 17 November 2006 97 05 December 2006 98 14 December 2006 31
99 10 January 2007 100 17 January 2007 101 30 January 2007 102 19 February 2007 103 16 April 2007 104 17 April 2007 105 26 April 2007 106 30 April 2007 107 09 May 2007 108 16 May 2007 109 18 May 2007 110 29 May 2007 111 20 June 2007 112 27 June 2007 113 05 July 2007 114 11 July 2007 115 03 October 2007 116 08 October 2007 117 17 October 2007 118 29 October 2007 119 14 November 2007 120 19 November 2007 22
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APPENDIX 5 – THE SCRUTINY OF EU DOCUMENTS
1 EU documents originating from the Commission in Brussels are made directly available to all national parliaments.
2 The EU Secretariat within the Office of the Prime Minister liaises with the respective Ministries regarding these EU documents.
3 On receipt of the documents, the individual Ministries are expected to draw up an Explanatory Memorandum (EM) on each document. These EMs are forwarded to the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs for the relevant scrutiny procedure.
4 The Research Analysts prepare a report on all the EMs received irrespective of their political and/or legal importance. A recommendation whether to clear a document or refer it for further debate is generally included as part of the conclusion in the Research Analyst’s report.
Documents on which the Committee is in agreement with the Government’s position thereon, and consequently no further discussion is deemed necessary, are cleared by the Scrutiny Committee (Working Group 1).
5 Documents on which the Committee deems that further information is necessary are retained for further scrutiny by Working Group 1.
6 Documents that warrant further in-depth discussion and evidence by the Minister responsible, and his/her experts, are referred to one of the Working Groups according to the respective areas of competence (Working Group 2, 3, the Social Affairs Committee (SAC) or the Plenary FEAC). Documents may be referred to the House if these are of sufficient national importance.
7 Documents being discussed within the Working Groups may be retained under scrutiny if the document in question is of significant importance and the Committee does not agree with the position taken by the Government, or is of the opinion that further discussions are necessary.
8 Documents are cleared by the relevant Working Groups to which the documents have been referred for further scrutiny.
9 Notification of clearance of the document is sent to the relevant Ministries .
10 Notification of clearance of the document is sent to the EU Secretariat .
The Chairman of the SCFEA tables all relevant documents (including the pipeline acquis, the ministerial memo as well as the analyst’s report), which are also made publicly available on the Committee’s website.
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THE SCRUTINY OF EU DOCUMENTS
2 1 European Union
EU Secretariat Lead/Secondary National Ministry Parliaments
3 9 Scrutiny Committee
10 4 5 6
Cleared Retained Referred
8 7
Cleared Scrutiny Reserve
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