Whether the UK leaves the EU as planned on March 29 or not does not depend on Malta. What this country must do is ensure that relations with Britain following Brexit are as mutually accommodating as possible.
Relations between the two countries extend to various aspects of health, education, tourism, business and trade. All these areas are of vital importance to Malta. The present preparations by government entities and professional organisations need to be thorough to ensure a seamless transition to when Britain leaves the EU even if Tuesday’s vote by the House of Commons complicates things for the UK.
Health issues being addressed include the importation of 1,870 medicinal products and the treatment of Maltese patients in UK hospitals under a health agreement signed in 1975. Malta, like other EU countries, has to find alternative sources of medicine to ensure that patients are not negatively affected should Brexit become a reality in the next few weeks. It is essential that the new sources provide similar medicine at similar prices in order not to impact consumers negatively.
Malta has long held strong ties with the UK in education. Many doctors and other professionals have trained in British medical schools and universities. At the same time, British doctors have practised medicine in Maltese hospitals in the past and continue to do so now. The Prime Minister has already noted that Maltese doctors trained in the UK would be recognised according to existing arrangements. Moreover, the proposal that Malta and the UK plan to mutually recognise each other’s doctors is welcome. Equally comforting is the proposal that the Medical Council would introduce a fast-track system to register professionals from the UK.
The UK market remains crucially important for Malta’s tourism industry and about 13,000 Britons live here, including 5,000 workers. British residents who retire on the island are an important source of income for service providers and they need to be reassured they will continue to be welcome on the island even after Britain leaves the EU. The granting of a 10-year residence permit is a good move that should help to persuade more Britons to retire in Malta if they so wish. Equally important is the ability of Maltese citizens to continue to travel to the UK as tourists with as little hassle as possible.
Few deny that the most likely impact of Brexit on the remaining EU countries will be in the area of trade. When the UK no longer forms part of the EU internal market, import taxes and tariffs may hinder the flow of goods between the EU countries and the UK.
E-commerce has become so popular that many ordinary people are likely to be affected when buying goods online from UK companies following Brexit. Malta Customs would have an additional 6,000 to 7,000 declarations to handle in a no-deal Brexit scenario. It is therefore essential that both Malta and the UK introduce processes that respect the legal realties of the new trading situation while encouraging trade to continue to flourish and flow easily.
Malta will lose an important ally in its insistence on sovereignty on fiscal matters that are being challenged by major EU member states. This political issue is likely to be the one that will have the greatest impact on Malta post-Brexit.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial