Malta in EU will strengthen co-operation and stability in Med

Dr Pflüger, who was born in Hanover on March 6, 1955, is married to Professor Margarita Mathiopoulos. He studied politics, constitutional law and economics in Göttingen, Bonn and Harvard, graduating in economics from Göttingen in 1975. He graduated MA from Bonn University in 1980 and D.Phil. in 1982.

Dr Pflüger was assistant to the Lord Mayor of Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and from 1984 to 1989 press spokesman of the President of Germany.

Having joined the CDU in Hanover in 1971, Dr Pflüger has been federal MP since 1990, he was CDU-CSU spokesman on disarmament from 1994 to 1998, and from 1998 to 2002 was chairman of the Bundestag standing committee on EU affairs of the CDU.

Dr Friedbert Pflüger, foreign policy spokesman of the Opposition Christian Democratic Party-Christian Social Union (CDU) parliamentary group in the Federal German Parliament (Bundestag), will be leading a delegation of federal MPs from the state of Lower Saxony to Malta later this month.

In this exclusive interview he gave to The Sunday Times, Dr Pflüger comments on the referendum and election which have sealed Malta's place in Europe.

How do you consider the vote taken in the March 8 referendum in Malta on European Union membership, a vote subsequently confirmed in the April 12 election? What will it mean in terms of stability and co-operation in the Mediterranean?

The March referendum, coupled with the April elections, is the final fruit of the commendable steps taken by the Maltese government under Prime Minister Fenech Adami and I congratulate President de Marco, the government and the people of Malta.

Malta is the first EU membership candidate to confirm its candidacy, in itself a very significant step. As an EU member, Malta will be able to serve as a bridge between the EU and North Africa. With Malta the EU will be better able to widen its sphere of co-operation and stability in the Mediterranean.

Do you think that the admission of Malta and Cyprus into the EU will revive the process for Euro-Mediterranean co-operation initiated at Barcelona in 1995? Is the achievement of a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area by 2010 a feasible objective?

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership plays a key role in promoting relations between the Mediterranean member states. Improved North-South and Europe-Mediterranean/Middle East relations are particularly important in these troubled times. Both states will be in a position to take part in trade agreements that the EU has already signed with members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

Due to the current international economic situation, as well as the slowed pace of economic reforms within the partner nations, it will not be easy to achieve FTA by 2010, however its development remains an important goal for us all.

We know that Germany has been one of the most consistent supporters of EU enlargement. Would it be fair to say that its attention would now be taken up more by the central European states such as Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary, rather than the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus?

Without a doubt, Poland and the Czech Republic, as my country's direct neighbours, have a special weight for us. Nevertheless we understand the importance of Cyprus and Malta. By the way: it has always been the policy of the CDU, especially of Chancellor Kohl and of Chairman Angela Merkel, to place emphasis on the relationship with the smaller EU nations.

Considering the already substantial German investment in Malta, and the fact that the German tourist market is the island's second most important (after Britain), do you foresee any growth in these areas of bilateral relations following Malta's EU membership?

Certainly bilateral relations will increase with the inclusion of Malta in the EU fraternity. Malta, now as an EU member, is more attractive to foreign investment. Membership will not only provide Malta with better access to the substantial EU internal market but will also more clearly signal its position within the international economic community.

Much has been made of the fact that the EU has been "hopelessly divided" by the Anglo-US war on Iraq, with France and Germany adamant in their opposition, and Spain, Italy, and some other countries in favour. What are the prospects of greater European cohesion on foreign policy, and what would Malta's role in this, especially considering its strong links with North Africa?

Malta will no doubt play a key role in bridging the gap between Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. The EU Summit last week in Athens will hopefully begin to erode some of the divisions within the EU itself. If Europe wants to play an international role it must be united. It must also be united, not against the US, but together with the US as a friend and partner, though not an uncritical one.

You will be leading a delegation of German Bundestag members from Lower Saxony to Malta later this month. What is the purpose of this visit?

I have always and firmly supported Malta's EU ambitions. The first time I travelled to Malta was in 1975 as the chairman of the Christian Democratic student movement in Germany attending a youth conference on Mediterranean security. Since then, I have truly fallen in love with the island. This visit is intended to signify our friendship with Malta. I very much look forward to renewing my personal acquaintance with such a charming country.