Malta to wait for accession talks

Date: 18/02/1999

By Simon Taylor

MALTA will have to wait until the end of this year to begin negotiations on joining the EU, despite getting a positive assessment from the European Commission on its readiness for membership.

However, the Commission is urging Union governments to agree that officials should begin preparing the ground for formal talks as soon as possible.

In its report on Malta's application, published yesterday (17 February), the Commission says that if existing member states endorse this approach, Valletta should begin the process of comparing its legislation to see how closely it fits with EU rules immediately. Maltese officials reacted positively to the report, saying: “We are back on track, so we are happy.”

Presenting the updated report on Malta's preparations for joining the Union, Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek said: “I am pleased that Malta has rejoined the enlargement process. It is making good progress in preparing for EU membership.”

But he highlighted a number of problems, including the need to restructure some public sector businesses, tackle the large budget deficit and adjust to Union single market rules.

Van Den Broek said that in view of Malta's progress, the Commission had recommended that “the Council of Ministers give the go-ahead to the screening of Malta's legislation” to assess how far the government still had to go to comply with EU legislation.

The decision to start formal talks will depend on a second progress report for Malta, expected in the autumn. If this report is positive, EU governments will decide whether to invite Malta to begin official membership negotiations at the Helsinki summit in December.