'Institutions' chapter to be closed today

The European Union and Malta are today expected to conclude membership talks on the chapter dealing with institutions.

Its conclusion will confirm that the Maltese language will be one of the EU official languages once Malta joins the EU.

The wrapping up of business on this chapter will mean that Malta will have closed 22 chapters, a position which still leaves it at the lower end of the grid among the 10 applicant countries aiming to conclude negotiations this year.

Malta is the only candidate country among the 10 which is still negotiating the chapters on the environment and customs union.

The other chapters over which talks are still going on are fisheries, taxation and competition. They will be followed by talks involving all the candidate countries on regional policy, financial and budgetary provisions and agriculture, the package which will determine the level of EU funding for the new member states.

The chapter dealing with institutions is due to be closed during the accession conference in Luxembourg where Malta is being represented by Foreign Minister Joe Borg.

It deals mostly with how Malta will fit into the EU institutions upon accession. The EU maintains that one of the keys to successful enlargement will be the effective and well-balanced representation and integration of the new member states in the institutional architecture of the union.

Malta has been allocated five seats in the European Parliament, and wants six, the same as Luxembourg. It also wants another vote in the European Council.

The allocations were made during the Nice EU summit in December 2000.

Although the EU is reluctant to amend that treaty, it has been agreed that if the Nice Treaty is reopened for negotiations with any of the candidate countries, it would also be opened with Malta. Two other applicant countries, Hungary and the Czech Republic, are also seeking adjustments regarding their representation in the European Parliament.

Informed sources have pointed out that after the EU in October names the candidate countries that are expected to be included in the next enlargement, the union is expected to make some adjustments to the number of seats in the European Parliament and votes in the council because the allocations made in Nice were arrived at on the assumption that there would be 12 new members, not 10 or fewer.

"So by the end of the year there are going to be adjustments to the allocations of seats in the European Parliament and votes in the council to cover the period 2005 and 2009 in the absence of Bulgaria and Romania taking part in this enlargement. Malta can possibly benefit from this exercise."