Kurt Sansone
Helmut Kohl blocked Malta's EU entry in 1995
It was Christian-democrat and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl who blocked Malta's entry into the European Union in 1995, President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami revealed yesterday.
During an EU summit in 1994, when member states were deciding whether to accept Malta, the Scandinavian countries and Austria, Mr Kohl objected to the wording of the final statement, which referred to the possible entry of Malta in the following year.
It was known that Germany had objected to Malta's EU membership in 1995 but this was the first time that the finger was pointed directly at Mr Kohl, who shared the same political family as that of the Nationalist Party.
"At the time, we did not know who had objected to Malta's entry but subsequently we learnt it was Helmut Kohl who objected because of what he perceived were Malta's close ties to Libya," Dr Fenech Adami said yesterday. He was speaking during an event held by the Nationalist Party's educational academy Ażad at San Anton Gardens to mark the 20th anniversary of Malta's application to join the European Union on July 16, 1990.
Dr Fenech Adami recalled how he had been waiting with Deputy Prime Minister Guido de Marco at the PN's headquarters for information through their Italian contacts on the outcome of the summit.
Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti was a strong supporter of Malta's entry into the EU at the time.
"The summit had dragged on deep into the night and the last information we had received was that the EU would admit the Scandinavian countries, Austria and 'possibly Malta'. However, when the official statement was issued, any reference to Malta was dropped. We learnt that the wording had disappeared from the statement after Andreotti left the summit because he was tired and that it was Helmut Kohl who objected because of our ties with Libya," Dr Fenech Adami recalled.
President Emeritus Guido de Marco said Malta had lobbied intensely at every occasion to become an EU member in the bloc's first enlargement after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "We were truly on the verge of joining because of the constant lobbying we made," Prof. de Marco said.
A decade had to pass before Malta could join the EU as the country's membership was overtaken by events when a newly-elected Labour government in 1996 froze the application.
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Jesmond Micallef
Jul 17th 2010, 19:36
The crucial Malta - Libya relationship has allways put Malta into the "limelight".
In the book "Politics of Persuasion" by President Emeritus Prof. Guido De Marco, Mr. Tom Pickering of the US Government had also provoked President Emeritus Prof. Guido De Marco at the United Nations about Malta breaching UN sanctions against Libya? It was also Mr. Tom Pickering who actually threatened unilateral sanctions against Malta. No evidence of breach was ever found within all the business relationships Malta had with Libya.
The Lockerbie tragedy is another one. I have read numerous articles on this event including an official LBA (German equivalent of the DCA within Transport Malta) course of aviation safety and security training in Germany which specified very clearly that the bomb had left from Malta. This has never been proven for fact. !!
Martin Cassar
Jul 17th 2010, 18:13
After 15 years…..
Malta has become a full-fledged EU member and despite the illegal immigrants issue we are facing, Christian Malta-Muslim Libya [distinguishing] relation remain an envy for all other EU members and equally putting many intellectually-bankrupted extremist one-single-issue (anti-immigrants ) politicians at sever panic.
Mr. Helmet Kohl quitted politics over a smaller scale corruption scandal similar to What French president Mr. Sarkozy who also jamming Turkey-EU membership is currently facing.
Few lessons to learn….
1-Countries don’t choose their neighbors. If countries don’t have problems we don’t need diplomacy or politics and this is why we should learn know how to fine-tune our politics
2-The Libyan’s oil pipes are long enough to influence the whole EU policy makers and economy.
3-We must re-energise our relations with our neighbours of both sides of the Mediterranean because the [financial] crisis has shown very clearly how exposed we are to problems beyond our borders, specially when the [irreversible] disaster is originating form the other side of the Atlantic.
4- Never trust far-right extremists, hungry for power politicians that use flare words which only creates unnecessary social tension among population and never provide a solution
Jesmond Micallef
Jul 17th 2010, 16:53
Blocking Malta's entry into the EU because of Malta's links with Libya by a German is somewhat very hypocritical considering Germany's history, which will never be forgotten. Maybe Herr Helmut Kohl should have consulted with the French about the psychological horrors of lost pride due occupation by the Terroristic nation of Nazi Germany.
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is the Chancellor of German unification !!
l fenech
Jul 17th 2010, 15:31
U ghamlu zmien iwahhlu f'Sant.
Jesmond Micallef
Jul 17th 2010, 13:13
Ex - German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is known as the Chancellor of German re-unification !! He battled against his personal Stasi files being made available to the public on grounds that he was a public figure !!!
Stephen Everard
Jul 17th 2010, 13:06
I could not have put that better myself.
M Buttiegieg
Jul 17th 2010, 12:20
Now we know who are friends are, its well and good to have a smiling face when foreigners are here in our country, but when they go back they are a different kettle of fish believe me i lived in most european countries and they are not all for little Malta, could be political or could be just sheer jelousey that we have got it all.
Mario Tabone-Vassallo
Jul 17th 2010, 10:43
Ilha maghrufa. For foreign consumption: And such an upright and honest man he subsequently turned out to be!