Adequate representation expected in European external action service

Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg yesterday called for Malta to be properly represented in the European External Action Service, which is set to act as a Foreign Ministry and a diplomatic corps for the EU.

"As Malta, we do not expect to be over-represented but would like to ensure we are represented properly to do a job and not merely as a statistical assurance," Dr Borg said.

He added that if Malta were to be accorded staff proportionally to the size of the country, it might not even qualify to have one whole person.

"For Malta to feel part of the process, we must not be sidelined. Considering our low representation in the European Commission and Council bodies, we expect that this anomaly can be redressed and this under-representation should be taken into account," he said.

Dr Borg was speaking at a public dialogue on the priorities and programme of the Belgian presidency of the EU at Europe House, Valletta.

Belgian Ambassador Jean-François Delahaut said the Belgian EU presidency would continue in the footsteps of the Spanish presidency which ended in June.

It would focus on combating the economic crisis and global warming, the expansion of the EU, the social dimension of the EU and the implementation of the Stockholm action plan for justice and home affairs, migration and asylum.

Asked whether the current political situation in Belgium could jeopardise its presidency, Mr Delahaut said the presidency programme had very little to do with Belgian politics and he assured all present that his country would still be around in 500 years, in some form or another.

Dr Borg appealed for the EU to weigh its options well when it came to countries joining, saying that even though a country joining had its cost, there was also the cost of it not joining, mentioning Turkey and its flirting with eastern countries such as Iran as an example.

Intervening from the floor, Vince Farrugia, director general of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprise - GRTU, said the EU had reacted late to the economic crisis and businesses were suffering as a result. He said the Spanish EU presidency did not help in this regard.

Reacting, Spanish Ambassador María Isabel Vicandi said: "I really don't think you can blame Spain."

She said there were very important measures taken by the EU as a collective project. The economic crisis was unprecedented because of globalisation and Spain had been trying to convince other member states of the need for common economic policies.