10 years ago - The Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
EU migration pact – Malta facing uphill battle
Malta continues to face an uphill struggle in its efforts to push the EU to agree on a new intra-EU voluntary burden-sharing mechanism aimed at helping small member states deal with massive influxes of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
At a meeting of EU Permanent Representatives on a new EU migration pact, Malta’s Ambassador to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana, last week made it clear Malta would not accept a final deal unless a commitment towards burden sharing is included in the final text. The issue is expected to be discussed during a meeting of EU justice ministers in Brussels tomorrow during which the French Presidency is seeking to reach a final deal.
However, Council sources told The Times yesterday that Malta’s proposal is not yet agreed upon as some member states are still resisting a reference to a burden-sharing mechanism. A series of meetings to be held in Brussels today are deemed to be crucial prior to the Council meeting.
Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici is today expected to hold a one-on-one meeting with EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot at the Commission’s headquarters.
25 years ago - The Times
Friday, September 24, 1993
Malta insists on early start to accession talks with EC
Foreign Minister Guido de Marco insisted yesterday for an early start to accession talks with the European Community.
“In our view, discussions relating to economic reforms, participation in the institutions and other issues should form part of the negotiations themselves leading to Malta’s membership of the European Union,” he told the Malta-EC Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting in Brussels.
The European Commission, in its avis on Malta released in June, said a major overhaul of the economy should be on track before membership talks could begin.
It had proposed an “intense dialogue” on the nature and timetable of the priority economic reforms needed to prepare Malta for integration in the Community.
“Once these priority reforms are implemented and the global reform programme has been adopted, accession negotiations can get under way,” the Commission said in the avis.
Prof. de Marco said yesterday the Maltese government’s aim was the commencement of accession negotiations “as soon as possible”.
50 years ago - Times of Malta
Tuesday, September 24, 1968
Complaint against pharmacy – extra charge for medicine
A complaint was lodged with the police at Sliema, on Saturday evening, against a pharmacist who charged an extra 3s for supplying medicine which was urgently needed for an infant suffering from enteritis.
Saturday, Independence Day, was a public holiday, but pharmacies were not obliged to close that day. They could, in fact, have remained open till 9pm, hence the customer’s claim that he should not have been charged extra when called at the pharmacy at 8pm. The pharmacy at Sliema was closed at the time.
“The pharmacist was kind enough to provide me with my requirements, but this does not mean that I should have been charged extra, particularly on a day and at a time when the pharmacy should have been open according to law, said the complainant.
The person concerned has also lodged a report with the Medical and Health Department.
“This is a matter of principle and action must be taken against any possibility of such extra charge being taken up as a precedent by other pharmacists,” said the complainant.