Stood up by Malta… again

Date: 16/11/00

Everyone knows that in affairs of the heart, once you have let your partner down, you will never be fully trusted again.

The same principle seems to apply to the slightly duller world of EU integration. Last week, ambassadors from 13 applicant countries gathered for the official hand-over of the European Commission's annual reports on their progress in preparing to join the Union.

In order to avoid any hints about which of the 13 would join the EU first, ambassadors lined up in alphabetical order by country name to receive the documents from the Commission's enlargement head Eneko Landaburu.

But when Malta's turn came, Valletta's ambassador Victor Camilleri was nowhere to be seen, prompting a quip from his Estonian counterpart. “Maybe they have withdrawn their application again,” he said - referring to the fact that Malta's bid for membership was put on hold after the Labour Party won power until Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami revived it following his election victory in September 1998.