Chris Said

The Maltese and French Republics enjoy very cordial relations and I am sure that by the end of the French Presidency of the European Union, both countries would have benefitted from working closely on the priorities set out for the next six months.

France’s term of presidency has come at a time when there is a challenge to the continuing progress already achieved in European integration.

The Irish referendum result has indeed presented us all with a challenge regarding the Treaty of Lisbon. As French President Nicolas Sarkozy remarked in Strasbourg, we cannot have enlargement without the Lisbon Treaty as enlargement necessitates new institutions.

Another challenge emanating from the Irish vote is the decision on whether next year’s European elections are held on the basis of the Lisbon Treaty or Nice Treaty.

But the biggest challenge of all will be to convince the people of Europe that the European Union is working for everyone.

The harmonisation of the EU’s immigration policy is another priority for the French presidency. France wants the immigration problem to be discussed at a European level as it does not make sense for each country to have its immigration rules without taking into account the impact on other Member States.

We now hope that the backing given by EU Ministers to the French package on immigration only a few days ago will be translated into a common EU policy, effectively dealing with the legal aspects of immigration while encouraging legal migration to help the EU bloc deal with the serious problems caused by the shortage of workers in specific areas.

Malta has a particular interest in seeing that a common policy based on responsibility sharing becomes effective.

Malta has striven very hard to keep the illegal immigration issue at the top of the EU agenda and sees the French presidency’s choice of giving this issue top priority as a sign of solidarity.

Climate change is also high on the French presidency agenda. The citizens of the European Union expect the Union to protect them and this can be achieved by all Member States joining forces to combat this problem. The French presidency wants the EU to set the example in combating climate change and Member States should unite to prevent a future catastrophe.

Talks on the successor of the Kyoto protocol start next year and a common united position will go a long way towards hopefully achieving tangible results.

The French presidency aims at laying the groundwork for an EU common security policy. Europe today has a role to play in settling international crises and the French presidency sees a common security policy and instruments to implement it as key in achieving this goal.

This of course will not be easy to achieve. The issue is a very delicate and sensitive one and no one has any illusions that it will be achieved in the short term. But we hope that the foundations that will be laid under the French presidency will determine the shape of things to come.

Malta has welcomed the proposal of the Mediterranean Union from its very inception. We as an island are strategically placed to work within this Union, building bridges where need be, offering peaceful solutions when called for and always working with our neighbours, with our feet firmly implanted in the European Union.

The French presidency’s programme for the next six months is vast. But as President Sarkozy said when addressing the MEPs in Strasbourg at the beginning of this month, “we all have a heavy responsibility... we must reassure Europeans and show that Europe is working for everyone”.

Chris Said is parliamentary

secretary for public dialogue and information