|
< back to menu
Malta and the EU Question: Interview with the Deputy Head
of the Malta EU Information Centre
Q: What about tourism and the EU? Would full membership have
much of an impact on tourism in Malta? Do you see tourism
moving in certain directions?
A: Well, tourism in Malta, as you know, is one of our biggest
economic factors, you know? It's very important for us. And
as maybe you know, the EU does not have any laws on tourism,
but there are things like, for example, which do affect tourism.
Like, for example, the British government has certain taxes
for certain destinations within the EU and higher taxes for
destinations outside the EU. And the British market is an
important market for Malta. So there are things which will
affect definitely tourism: higher standards of living, higher
environmental awareness would also encourage more tourists
to come. So there are people who say that, yes, tourism would
benefit from joining the EU. But there's still something in
the sense that there's people who think one way, people who
think another. There are people who, for example, are scared
that because of …, a lot of Sicilians might come to Malta
and work in the tourist industry, for example, you know, taking
jobs away from the Maltese. Whether this will happen or not,
it will probably happen at one level or another, but whether
it will be such a wide-ranging cataclysmic event, it is something
that, you know, even if you take the amount of people who
actually move from one place to another within the EU, it
is something very very small. On this point the Maltese government
has actually negotiated a seven-year arrangement so that the
Maltese government will be able to stop EU citizens from working
in certain areas, in certain labour .., in certain markets
which are very much like what Germany has done with eastern
European countries, not allowing them for seven years to be
able to take jobs. This is simply a precautionary measure
that would sort of buy some time, so that you'd be able to
actually assess the amount of people who'd actually be travelling
to come to work to Malta.
Q And as far as residence is concerned, would laws be relaxed
for people coming to live in Malta under EU membership? Do
you see certain dangers there of what is already a fairly
crowded island becoming more crowded?
A There was one negotiating point which I think was the highest
priority of the Maltese government. This was EU citizens buying
property in Malta. The level of property…, Malta's already
highly urbanised, there's very little agricultural land left,
compared to other EU states. It is the most densely populated
country in the world, if not in Europe. Definitely in Europe,
but if I'm not mistaken, if it's not the first, it's either
the second or the third. Only ………??? and Hong
Kong are more densely populated than Malta. So there is a
big problem here. The prices of property have been going up
tremendously. Maltese property compares very much like central
London or Paris, you know, we're talking really high property
markets. So the idea of EU citizens being able to buy as much
property as they want was always a bit of a problem. In Malta
we've had a law since 1974 which states that foreign people
are only able to buy a holiday home in Malta, and that they
can buy only one holiday home. They have have to apply for
a permit which is given, it's never refused, but as long as
the property you're buying is more than certain thresholds
which the government sets every now and then. So at the moment,
for example, it's 30,000 Maltese lire, that's around 70-80,000
euros for an apartment, ok? Which is by today's standards
a bit low, because most apartments cost already more than
that. So there's this law, which in reality has been practically
adopted by the EU for Malta, even after accession. So this
will remain. Any EU citizen…
Q And that's successful in keeping numbers down?
A Yes, yes, because it does not allow EU citizens or foreigners
of any country to buy more than one property. The only exception
is that, if Malta joins the European Union, any new citizen
coming to Malta to live here, you know, not just as a holiday
home where he comes three months a year, you know, in summer
when the weather's very nice, but coming to live here, after
five years living here he will have the option of buying whatever
property he feels like. Because then he'll be living here
for five years and he'll be practically like a Maltese. But
this is also…, this arrangement also does not allow people
to sell property at international market prices, so it tries
to keep as much as possible the price down. Obviously, the
prices will never go down, because the amount of land is very
limited, and simple economics - supply and demand - will obviously
make it very difficult for Maltese prices in property to go
down. There's a big demand and very limited supply.
Q Ok, I think that answers the most…, unless you can
think of any other important things that need to be…
A There are certainly a number of negotiating issues that
are still being asked…
There is, for example, environment. We have had very limited
environmental legislation in Malta over the past years, but
now obviously with EU accession we have to adopt the huge
number of laws that there are on environment. It is a big
problem for Malta to do so. Why? Because it involves a lot
which the Maltese government cannot take up on its own, so
there will be obviously aid from the EU to be able to take
up the environment legislation. For example, one of our biggest
environmental problems here is, being such a small country,
waste, garbage. That has become a monster, you know. It went
completely out of control. And there is no way that the Maltese
government on his own can actually clear that up, because
it costs something like 80 million, which is a big portion
of the Maltese budget, you know, so…
Q This is maybe where you could expect a certain degree of
help from the EU.
A Certainly, this is where help is to be expected. Another
problem is sewage treatment prior to disposing in the sea,
you know, there are some problems there. This is also another
area where help, even technical help, which a small country
like ours sometimes lacks in technical people, you know, trying
to have real technical people on certain aspects, you cannot
expect a small country like ours to have all the technical
expertise that is required in all areas of the legislation.
There is obviously agriculture, which is being discussed -
I already mentioned it. And then there are a number of issues
like, for example, taxation. Maltese VAT, the VAT, is not
applicable on food and medicinals right now, the way it is.
The Maltese government is actually requesting that this arrangement
continues after accession. Certain countries do have this
arrangement, like Britain and Ireland, but the EU does not
really want new countries to keep on with this arrangement.
This is also another negotiating point that is being negotiated.
And there are a number of small issues. One important issue
for Malta: we are very proud of our language. The Maltese
language is something…, and rightly so, because we are
such a small country and to have our own language, whereas
big countries do not, you know. And for us it is a very important
point that the Maltese language will be an official language
of the EU, and this week this has finally been accepted. So
we will be very proud to see the Maltese language being spoken
in the room, comparing it with German and English, which are
spoken, you know, by such large countries. And for Malta,
you know, with a third of a million people, we do have our
own language and we're very proud of that. So that was also
an issue which has been resolved quite successfully.
Q So that might win a few votes in favour of a EU…
A Well, definitely. I'm sure that that will happen. But more
than that, there's a sense of the EU really accepting Malta
for what Malta is. There is a sense that it's difficult for
certain people to understand - why would the EU, such a big,
you know, trading arrangement, why would it want Malta, you
know? We're so little, we're so tiny. What influence could
we have? And the fact that at every point Maltese special
needs are being recognised by the EU does leave, yes, a sense
of well-being, you know, in the country.
Q You don't feel you're being swallowed up by…
A Exactly, exactly. Just have to accept everything and lump
it, you know. We all speak English on Malta, and maybe English
would have been an easier way out for the EU. But no, the
fact that Maltese, being our national language, is being taken
up and it will be there, spoken with all the…, you know,
it's nice to see - I've received the first letter from the
G Agriculture in Maltese. And they sent it to Malta, to the
Maltese government - it was all in Maltese. And this is nice
to look at it and say "This is in Maltese", you
know? They actually went to the trouble to make it as easy
for us as possible. So it is definitely a plus.
|
