Malta's permanent representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana, spoke today of his pride and gratitude for having been given the opportunity to serve as Malta's representative to the EU, saying he had devoted all his energy to serve the country and the government with complete loyalty.
Speaking at an AZAD conference marking eight years of EU membership, Mr Cachia Caruana said his experience as Chief Negotiator before Malta joined the EU, and Malta's representative since then, was rewarding and life changing.
"I am grateful to have been given a central role in the preparation and successful adjustment of my country as an EU member. I learnt a lot and worked to share that knowledge.
"I have made friends and perhaps I made some political enemies," he said with a wry smile.
Mr Cachia Caruana is facing a censure motion in parliament for allegedly going behind parliament's back in talks with Nato officials in 2004 which the Opposition says were about reactivating Malta's Partnership for Peace programme. The government denies the claim and says the talks were about access to Nato documents by Malta.
Mr Cachia Caruana said he was pleased to have worked closely with people from both sides of the political divide over the past years.
"Throughout, I have always sought to serve with all my energy and dedication and with complete loyalty to my country and my government. I hope that my contribution has made a positive difference in helping us make a success of EU membership."
In his address Mr Cachia highlighted various areas which showed how Malta had made a success of EU membership.
"EU membership has changed the way both government and the private sector do business and how they take decisions. There is a greater focus on the longer term. There is a greater emphasis on managing the realities before us and on husbanding our resources as against the amateurish wishful thinking of the past. There has been massive investment in education and training, health, communications infrastructure and the environment.
"Though there is still a long way to go in all these areas, the changes have had a profound effect. And, coupled with the steps that have been taken to reduce bureaucracy and simplify tax and other rules, this has led to the development of a vibrant and diversified economy, including a fast-growing financial services sector. EU membership has also provided some of the funding that has allowed much to be done in a relatively short period; these funds however are only a small part of the EU equation."
He noted that Malta had the strongest economic growth rate within the EU and the fifth lowest unemployment rate. 93 per cent of graduates found employment within three years of graduation, by far the best in the EU.
EU membership helped Malta put its finances on solid ground and was very important for the attraction of foreign direct investment.
In his address, Mr Cachia Caruana regretted that Malta is under-represented in the EU's external action service and said work was being done to remedy this 'unacceptable' situation.
He said that in Malta there was sometimes too strong a focus on EU funds. Although important, funds were but one element of EU membership. Other aspects included the way Malta did business, improvement in regulation and investment.
Nonetheless, access to EU Funds was an obvious way in which Malta's infrastructure, businesses and private citizens had benefited over the past eight years. As a beneficiary of EU funding – to the tune of some €1.3 billion (over €3,250 per capita) between 2004 and 2013 – Malta was been able to invest in areas that were fundamental to the development of the country's economy.
On migration, Mr Cachia Caruana said the EU was nowhere near consensus on this issue. He felt it was important to move towards obligatory (rather than voluntary) solidarity in burden sharing. In 2005, he said, he used to be alone in arguing on this point, but others had now joined him. It was also important, he said, for the EU to give greater assistance to the countries from where the migrants came.
PRIME MINISTER'S PRAISE
Other speakers at the conference included Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who on several occasions praised Mr Cachia Caruana.
He pointed out that other countries had said that Malta got the best accession package, with special deals on property, work permits, fisheries, VAT exemptions on food and medicine.
"No other country achieved this, and we should express our appreciation to Mr Cachia Caruana who always worked in the best interest of Malta and the Maltese," Dr Gonzi said to applause.