German potential interest threatened?

When Malta joins the European Union in ten months' time, it will be the smallest member. On the other hand, the Federal Republic of Germany, with a population of 82 million, is the largest member of the EU population-wise and, after France and Spain, the third largest in terms of area; it is the country with the strongest economy in the EU and, in many areas, considered to be the motor behind the Union's growth and development.

Lately, the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Erwin Teufel, paid a visit to Malta. Baden-Württemberg is the region where several German firms operating here in Malta have their headquarters, among them also the company I work for, ProMinent.

Baden-Württemberg is only one of the 16 German states; the volume of exports from this state alone is nearly equal to the entire exports of countries such as Spain or Sweden. These comparisons are indicative of the economic power of the Federal Republic.

It is obvious that we, in Malta, are extremely keen on strengthening our relations with Germany. I think that one can say without much hesitation that we are interested in strengthening our relations with Germany in every sector: in tourism, industry and trade, in the educational and cultural fields.

We are glad to see German nationals choosing Malta as their base for business, or just to live here. I think that we all agree that we want to increase Maltese-German co-operation - in all fields of activity.

But so do many other countries, whether EU members or not, whether future EU members or not, indeed whether European or not. It is enough to attend one of the big international fairs held in Germany, like the huge ITB Tourism Fair in Berlin, or one of the gigantic specialised fairs (like the ACHEMA fair - the Ausstellung für chemisches Apparatewesen - which is held at the Frankfurt Fairs and Exhibition grounds every three years - the last one was held in May of this year).

It is enough to attend one of these fairs to realise the enormous competition, which exists internationally, in the struggle to do business with Germany.

One question arises: What is Malta offering to German nationals who may be tempted to invest here, to visit Malta as tourists, to buy property, to live here - what are we offering that other countries are not offering? That is the question.

Are German tourists, German business people, German nationals in general, impressed by what Malta has to offer? What can be improved upon? What is it that we are not offering that Germans would like to find here?

Naturally, this is a complex subject. I have had contacts with Germany, German institutions and German people for a very long time, and I am still in contact with them every day, both at work and during most of my free time.

I have a certain amount of experience, but I do not pretend to have any special inside information. Here, I would like to deal with one aspect only of the complex subject of German-Maltese relations.

Practically in every report about Malta in the German media, you find a reference to the fact that Malta is a very small country. In a report about Malta that appeared in the German press lately - quite a positive report - the journalist wrote that Malta is not even half the size of Lake Constance.

In another article, which also appeared a few weeks ago, another reporter commented that Malta is smaller than Bremen, the smallest of the 16 federal states that make up the Federal Republic.

However, this sheer inequality in population and size does not seem to make Malta less interesting for Germans. Indeed, in both reports, when referring to the size and the geographic limitations of the island, the journalists use words and adjectives that indicate that they believe that the tourist may in fact find these limitations particularly attractive.

One of them starts his report like this: "Dressed in a sporting outfit with anorak, knickerbockers and heavy walking shoes, our (Maltese) guide, Isabelle, looked as if she wanted to take off to the mountains.

"And yet, in Malta, one only comes across gentle hills surrounded by green fields. And that is exactly what makes this Mediterranean island, half the size of the Lake of Constance, so charming and attractive for hiking."

Just to give you a feel of what Germans like and appreciate about our island (besides the importance which is always given to the archaeological and historical sites) let me quote further from one of the articles.

I am quoting from a report by Wilhelm Hüls, which appeared in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung - a daily newspaper published in Heidelberg and covering the whole region of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and much of the North Baden-Württemberg area - quite an important regional newspaper.

Among other things, this reporter wrote: "To the left behind us lies Mgarr; we walk up Wardija Hill. Heather and fennel are abundant in this part of the island. Prickly pears lean on the stone walls dividing the terraced fields, whose cultivation goes back to the time of the Arabs more than 1,000 years ago.

"Screeching windmills provide the water for the tiny fields. After Zebbiegh, a winding path leads down to the low-lying area of Ghajn Tuffieha, and we discover Roman baths.

"At the gate a notice is hanging: key from the house opposite. The house opposite belongs to a farmer, and it's the farmer's wife herself who leads us to the tepidarium where we are struck by the wonderful colours of amazing mosaics.

"Outside, the sweet smell of herbs and the fragrance of wild shrubs. In the pleasant, cool sea breeze we approach a watchtower erected on the coast by the knights of St John.

"The tower is situated on a throne provided by a small, sterile peninsula between two bays that seem to be ideal for swimming - to the right Golden Bay, to the left Ghajn Tuffieha Bay. The turquoise waters glitter as they embrace the reddish yellow sand of the beach..."

You might be thinking: How romantic! Maybe, we don't expect this kind of writing from a reporter - in this modern day and age - and then a reporter coming from the most industrialised and modern nation of Europe.

And yet, when you come to aspects of nature - whatever these may be - wild plants, sterile peninsulas, lonely towers, small fields, winding pathways... these are things that the average cultured German loves and looks for.

The average cultured German is a great lover of nature. And in this respect, Germans are extremely romantic. Their love of and respect for nature is extraordinary and goes back many centuries. It is reflected in all forms of German art, literature, folksongs and traditions.

Let us not forget that the great Romantic movement, which in Britain produced the poets that we know from our school days (Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Byron...), with their splendid poems celebrating nature - the movement which spread to every European country - this romantic movement which adored (indeed deified nature - for them Nature was God!) reached its climax in the German art, music and literature of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Indeed, Germany is viewed by many as the cradle of romanticism. The movement produced some of the most illustrious poets of the German language - Novalis, Brentano, Achim von Arnim, Eichendorff, E.T.A. Hoffmann, and perhaps the greatest German lyricist of all times, Heinrich Heine.

Romanticism is considered as the German movement par excellence, and not only in literature. The great composers Robert Schumann, Carl Maria von Weber, the Austrian-born Franz Schubert, just to mention a few, are all well-known representatives of the German romantic movement in music, culminating in Richard Wagner.

The German romantic landscape painter, Caspar David Friedrich, exerted a significant and lasting influence on European art. It was during the time of the German romantics that the philologists and folklorists Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm - the Grimm brothers, as they are known - studied in depth the German Middle Ages and published their renowned collection of stories, known in English as Grimm's Fairy Tales.

The author and literary critic from Alsace, Ferdinand Lion, called Romanticism simply "a German destiny" (Romantik als deutsches Schicksal, 1947).

To me, it was never surprising that the modern Green movement, with its radical ecological belief, also had its origins in Germany, which is the country where the movement is still strongest.

As you know, the Greens govern in Germany together with the Social Democrats. And they have been in power for quite some time! Green politicians occupy some of the most important ministerial posts in Berlin.

The German tourist of a certain calibre wants to enjoy nature and to find natural surroundings that are protected and taken care of. But not only the German tourist!

Also the German investor, the German businessman who is looking to establish commercial contacts with Maltese companies, the well-off German who is thinking of buying or renting property in Malta... they also want to see nature respected and appreciated.

And in Malta they would like to see and enjoy the type of scenery and natural environment that is typical of our islands.

Naturally, it isn't just the Germans who want to see nature at its best. We all prefer to be surrounded by a healthy, flourishing natural beauty. But for the average cultured German person - and most of the Germans we are trying to attract to Malta belong to this category - the natural environment means something very special.

In many ways, nature and the environment are for Germans what religion is for us. I see many things in common between the way that we treat religious subjects and the way Germans look at nature - indeed, in both cases, sometimes going to extremes!

Since the day that our president, the president of the German-Maltese Chamber of Commerce, Henry Borg, asked me to make this presentation, I have been asking a number of Germans living in Malta and others who were here for a short time, what they dislike about Malta, what they find particularly irritating, and what, in their opinion, would put Germans off when considering Malta.

I simply asked them to tell me or jot down what comes to mind straight away, not to reflect too long about the question. This was not a scientific project. I just wanted to collect impressions. I managed to get responses from 12 persons.

One point which was mentioned in all responses without exception and which always featured among the first two items mentioned, was the fact that we, in Malta, are not conscious of our environment (the phrase "mangelndes Umweltbewusstsein" - lack of awareness/consciousness for the environment - is what came up most often).

Responses included remarks such as these: wastage of energy; no rubbish separation; no real efforts to avoid creating waste; not much use of alternative sources of energy; dirty countryside; too much rubbish on the roads and in unbuilt spaces; very few possibilities to enjoy the countryside; 'can you tell me where I can enjoy a bit of open and clean nature, away from built up areas and waste created by human beings?' I grouped these responses under the heading "Environment".

The second point mentioned as being, in the opinion of the persons I asked, particularly negative was: 'Too much traffic'. 'Too many cars and too much exhaust' combined with bad driving. One just wrote: "Die Dominanz des Autos" - the dominance, the omni-presence - the dominating role of the car. I grouped these points under the heading "Traffic". Naturally, this is also a problem directly related to the environment.

Other points were mentioned, but these did not feature in all of the respondents' reactions. Most of the issues raised dealt with what the German respondents considered to be general lack of discipline. The two that I mentioned, however, environment and traffic, came up every time in one form or another.

You might tell me: The 12 persons are not representative enough. Some might say: Well, if they don't like it here, why do they come; or why do they stay here in the first place? Some might also say: What does this have to do with investment, trade and commerce?

In my humble opinion, with regard to our relations with German people, these aspects have become of paramount importance. They relate directly to all our activities involving German-Maltese contacts.

As to the argument 'if they don't like it, why do they come here in the first place?' I just answer with another question: Is it the largest EU nation with the strongest economy in the Union that needs Malta, or is it Malta that needs to attract German industrialists, business people and tourists?

I am afraid that, in spite of individual efforts here and there, in spite of certain government and private initiatives - definitely most commendable - the overall situation is extremely worrying. I am afraid that unless drastic action is taken, if we continue to cause damage to our natural heritage, we will lose the type of cultured German tourist who comes to Malta in the low season and the shoulder months, who doesn't only come here once to see the archaeological sites and the historical places, but who enjoys walking in the countryside and along the sea.

And even in industry, those of us involved in working with German industrialists - at least that is my experience - are being taken to task more seriously and more often about environmental issues.

This concerns both the most serious problems - those related to waste matter, whether solid or sewage - and the everyday problems of the rubble and rubbish that you find in so many places.

Unfortunately, the first impression that a potential investor or a potential commercial client gets of our island is that we are an undisciplined nation. This is not helping us to give a good, modern and efficient image of our industry and our products.

In my humble opinion, unless we give absolute priority to such environmental issues, we will be facing big problems in our relations - not so much with Germany - but with the people of Germany! In our enthusiasm to attract German industry, commerce, tourism and to promote German-Maltese co-operation in general, we may be neglecting the basic things that Germans look for and admire most - a natural environment that is respected, protected and cared for.

On the other hand, I also firmly believe that the protection of the environment is an area in which we could and need to co-operate with Germany - both on the national level and on the level of private enterprise.

Let us not forget: problems mean opportunities. Considering the wealth of experience and knowhow available in Germany, in the field of the environment, I see great scope and many opportunities for German-Maltese co-operation.