ECONOMIC VISION 2017: BUSINESS. FINANCE. ECONOMY.
“That aside, in the coming months and perhaps more than ever before, we need to work on bringing the EU closer to the citizen, reiterating why we need Europe and why the values that make us European must be reaffirmed.” Looking at the topics that will be discussed during our Presidency, it seems inevitable that Brexit and the recent US election results will weigh heavily on the next six months. Will they create hindrance? “The first six months of 2017 will be crucial for the development of Europe; it does seem likely that the UK’s exit process from the EU and relations with the US will dominate our Presidency,” Dr Metsola says. “We need to stop thinking that Europe is some mythical, far away entity. Malta is Europe and Europe is Malta. If Brexit taught us anything, it is that the EU needs to respond to people’s concerns and that means having more Europe in some areas and less Europe in others. In the words of Jean-Claude Juncker: ‘Europe needs to be big on the big things and small on the small things’. “We also need to do much more to face down rising populism and populist leaders. It never ceases to amaze me how Prime Ministers can come to Brussels, agree on a number of laws or initiatives and then go home and blame Europe as if they had no part in it. Europe needs people to stand up for it and I hope that the Maltese Presidency will do just that,” the Shadow Minister says. Meanwhile, Dr Borg stresses that Brexit and the Trump Presidency shouldn’t be the only focus. “These topics will inevitably feature in the political debate during our Presidency and beyond, but shall not monopolise it,” he says. “The EU is a historical process with deep roots in European reality that transcend single issues, however serious and complex these may be. “So, besides those topics, the Union has to tackle other major challenges – the continuing aftermath of the economic and financial crises, and the growing migration challenge in particular. There are the still unfinished tasks – the completion of the single market, of the digital single market and of the energy union. There are the external dimensions of the European reality, too – the continuing unfolding of the neighbourhood policy, to the south and to the east; the global commitment towards sustainable development especially in Africa; and the pursuit of improved trade relations with partners in Asia and in America. Plus, at the same time, the Union needs to continue seeking ever-more effective ways through which its citizens can remain active and committed participants.
“At the same time, as a member state, Malta has its own perspectives on these priorities, and it is these perspectives which we can seek to bring to the fore during our Presidency. Malta’s national priorities will not change during the Presidency and are already well known. They include migration, Union relations with our neighbours in the Mediterranean, the maritime strategy (in particular as regards transport and tourism), and the development of the single market (especially where it touches the interests of small enterprises). “Also of high interest for Malta are aspects including social, financial and monetary, international trade, research and innovation, digital strategy, and the energy strategy. An underlying objective regarding the way we wish to manage these priorities relates to the need to bring the Union closer to its citizens,” Dr Borg says. Dr Metsola also has strong ideas about the issues Malta should strive to push forward in the months to come, and that starts with taking every opportunity to place our country’s priorities on top of the agenda. “This Presidency is not simply a logistical exercise, so it would be a huge waste of resources if we treated it as that. The Maltese Presidency comes at a time when the EU’s migration and asylum legislation are being re-negotiated. We will be in a position to finally influence the EU’s direction on this sensitive issue more than at any previous time in the past. We cannot let the opportunity slip through our fingers. “The same goes for issues such as taxation and the need for Malta to remain in charge of its own taxation sovereignty. We are seeing more and more moves on taxation at EU level that would see Malta disproportionately affected and that is something that the Maltese Government heading the Presidency should also seek to address.” Finally, Dr Borg and Dr Metsola take a look at the legacy of what this Presidency will mean for Malta. “The political and historical importance for our island is huge. I have never viewed Malta as a small country – while our geographic realities are what they are, we have never had a sense of inferiority and have always managed to live up to all our responsibilities and obligations as an EU member state. Now we will be leading and it is our responsibility and duty to leave our mark on the European legislative and political landscape,” Dr Metsola says. And Dr Borg concludes: “This is not the first time that Malta has played a role in European life that goes well beyond considerations of our size. We have every reason to be confident that this, our first Presidency of the EU, will constitute yet another proud moment in our history,” he adds. EV
“During our Presidency, our European partners will expect us to keep a sharp focus on all these aspects, while simultaneously collectively contending with the implications of the Brexit process and the Trump presidency in the States.”
“So, to manage the agenda effectively, the Presidency needs to develop a firm understanding of the whole range of issues that have emerged from these processes, together with a clear sense of where member states, individually and collectively wish to assign priorities among these issues. In a very real sense, the Presidency’s priorities need to faithfully reflect the Union’s own priorities,” he says. 52
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When it comes to setting the agenda of our Presidency, Dr Borg believes that the agenda of any presidency should be “a function of strategies and decisions resulting from the political and institutional processes of the EU.