A review of 'Europe's locomotive'

The performance on the international plane of Europe's locomotive, as Germany has often been described, was reviewed by William Spiteri, a former ambassador of Malta in Berlin, in a lecture organised by the Strickland Foundation.

Mr Spiteri started his address with a "disclaimer":

"We all know that certain aspects of foreign policy are liable to more than one interpretation. My findings will not be the Gospel of the Lord. Rather, I see them more as a prudent offering at the altar of diplomacy, at which I was fortunate, or unfortunate, enough, to serve and minister to for a time."

He then moved on to address the main theme of his presentation - Reflections On German Foreign Policy.

The last four federal foreign ministers have, more or less, followed the same pattern.

The compelling shift towards foreign affairs was brought about, and is still dictated, by the heavy agenda of the European Union: enlargement, the EU Constitution, the budget, and, of course, by the pressures to preserve Franco-German cohesion in the European debate and the Franco-German relationship.

But there was more work to be done on other fronts.

Germany has always been in the forefront in the fight against international terrorism. Only in the case of Iraq, did the Schroeder government refuse to support the US in the war.

When the Libyan government compromised on the Lockerbie incident and agreed to compensate the victims of the La Belle nightclub atrocity in Berlin, German-Libyan relations rapidly improved. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also visited Libya and held talks with President Muammar Gaddafi.

Under the leadership of Chancellor Schroeder, Germany gained more self-confidence and became more resilient in international affairs. He was firmly of the view that Germany had a lot to offer to the international community. Germany was now ready to adopt an enhanced role; it was now one of the largest contributors to both the EU and the UN. The time was ripe for Germany to have a tangible share in international responsibilities. This became evident, for example, when the German Parliament unanimously voted for German troops to take part for the first time since the war in conflict outside Nato areas - like in Kosovo.

This political reawakening of Germany was also reflected in the country's desire to reinforce effective multilateralism.

Germany actively supports an overhaul of the UN in general, and of the Security Council, in particular. The Schroeder government, however, never agreed with the idea of an EU seat on the Security Council. This had been proposed by the Christian Democratic Party, Angela Merkel's CDU, stand still held by Wolfgang Schauble, of the CDU.

On an EU level, being one of the founders, Germany is intimately involved in all EU issues and participates in all aspects of EU policy. After all, Germany's foreign and security policy is determined by its geographical and political location in the heart of Europe.

It has often been said that Germany is Europe's locomotive. Along with France, Germany formulates European thought and gives substance to European initiatives. On occasion the UK would come on board too and play its part and, following the latest enlargement to 25 countries, Poland, Spain and Italy are also proving to be strong EU strategists and contributors to European initiatives.

Here, Mr Spiteri, lifted the lid, even if partially, on how things work out behind the scenes. When the final chapters of the acquis communautaire were being discussed with the EU, Malta insisted that VAT on medicine and foodstuffs should be zero-rated. "At one time I had sensed that the Germans were ready to make further concessions to Malta, but they wanted to first make sure the French would also be on the same wavelength."

On another occasion, "when we were negotiating some important and sensitive acquis chapters, we were hoping we could barter a commitment for Air Malta to acquire Airbus planes with a concession on certain chapters of the acquis which were of vital interest to Malta". He did not elaborate.

Both Chancellor Merkel and Chancellor Helmut Kohl before her insisted on strengthening relations with smaller countries.

Speaking of Mr Kohl, Mr Spiteri recalled that when he served as ambassador in Bonn in l995-6 he had left no stone unturned to persuade the Chancellor to make an official visit to Malta. "Regrettably, my efforts were not crowned with success, in spite of the fact that I had made very strong representations, in the course of which I had also referred to his theme on the importance of small states."

Turning to Germany's view on Turkey's bid to join the EU, Mr Spiteri pointed out that Chancellor Schroeder's government supported such entry even if the former ambassador felt that the majority of Germans were against such membership. Chancellor Merkel, then in opposition, also opposed Turkey's accession too was against EU membership of Turkey and had addressed a letter to her partners in the European People's Party asking them to support her proposal to offer Turkey, instead, a "privileged partnership".

In Mr Spiteri's opinion, the present governing coalition prefers accession talks with Turkey to be open-ended and if, ultimately, accession would not be possible for some reason, Turkey's privileged relationship with the EU could be further developed.

Germany wants to see tax harmonisation among all EU member states and is supporting the Service Directive. Of particular interest to Malta, the German government supports measures to solve the phenomenon of illegal migration and of proposals for assistance to alleviate the problems brought about by asylum seekers in Malta, Italy and Spain.

Germany will take the rotating presidency of the EU next January.

Mr Spiteri referred to Chancellor Merkel's contribution to last December's EU summit, when she was purported to have brokered a compromise on the financial perspectives, to Franco-German relations, which he described as "privileged", and to the "other important pillar of German foreign policy", its transatlantic relationship with the United States. "In Chancellor Merkel's view, Europe is not a counter-weight to the United States but a partner."

"Never in its history has Germany been so secure and free as it is today," Mr Spiteri insisted.

Because of modern changes, Germany has been seeking to develop a strategic partnership with Russia and on his visits to China, Chancellor Schroeder had indicated he would speak in favour of lifting the EU arms embargo on China.

As it does with Arab states, the German government also strives to maintain the best relations with Israel.

At this point in his presentation, Mr Spiteri spoke about the role "a little state like Malta can play in the Middle East peace process.

"I feel that if we have something interesting to say, a good idea to express or an initiative to take, we are listened to. I say this because I had occasion to notice, during the state visit to Germany of President Guido de Marco, in November 2001, how attentive and genuinely inquisitive German leaders had been when Prof. de Marco spoke on the Middle East. They realised he was speaking from personal experience, having met and befriended the main protagonists, and that he had deep knowledge and insight into the subject.

"I well remember the German leaders quizzing Prof. de Marco on a number of issues. I could notice their deep sincere interest and their admiration for his knowledge of the area... Libya too, was a topic of discussion, particularly with Chancellor Schroeder who was, soon after, to make a visit to Tripoli for talks with President Gaddafi."

In conclusion, Mr Spiteri spoke "in favour of Maltese embassies abroad".

"Let me say that my six-year stewardship was a great experience and, therefore, most rewarding on a personal level. I also like to think that Malta also got something out of my efforts and that my contribution, and that of my staff, was useful... My nomination as chairman of two groups of ambassadors in Berlin helped me enormously, and gave me a high profile... Apart from tourism, our main focus was directed at attracting trade and investment."

The embassy worked on five state visits to Malta and also organised a number of cultural and art events.

"I considered myself as a public relations person, and a salesman, who really had a wonderful product to sell: Malta; with its culture, history, archaeological heritage, customs and traditions, folklore, Maltese food, manufactured products, Maltese social life, the sun, the sea, the beaches and, of course, the marvellous weather.

"We tried to sell the geo-strategic reality of Malta, highlighting Malta's contribution to the European Union to the German markets. We hammered home the message that Malta has long sought to promote cooperation between Europe and the Mediterranean, and that in Malta, Germany has a reliable and trusted EU partner.

"Properly run embassies can properly deliver - of that there is no doubt..."