Malta is poised to venture on the international stage in a big time.
We may count the Middle Sea Race as the curtain-raiser, if we like. The race has become one of the classic sailing races in the world.
But we are referring here more to the first-ever meeting of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank which will take place in Malta on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Frankfurt-based ECB holds two Governing Council meetings a year in one of the member states. This time, it is Malta’s turn, which will be followed in November by a Malta Week in Frankfurt, with the participation of the Malta Philharmonic and Joseph Calleja and other top Maltese artists.
It will be a full Governing Council meeting, just like those that take place at the ECB tower in Frankfurt, complete with the all-important press conference by Mario Draghi as soon as the council ends its meeting.
As can be seen from the story on our front page, the specialized media is already speculating on what may be the decisions to be reached by the meeting.
What the ECB, led by its Governing Council, decide, is of paramount importance to the EU in the context of the ongoing crisis in Europe added to which one must factor in the current crisis in China and the difficulties being faced by the Emerging Nations.
The Governing Council meeting is only the first of the high-powered international meetings that will take place in Malta in the coming six weeks.
Heads of State and government of member countries of the European Union and their counterparts of African Union will hold a summit in Malta on November 11-12.
Although there is not enough public awareness about the importance of this meeting, it is known that the European Union member states are taking their participation very seriously. In fact, not only will all EU leaders be coming but they will all be leading full delegations (creating some logistical problems for the organisers).
What may be worrying is what has been revealed to Parliament some days ago (but not picked up by the media) that so far there does not seem to be a corresponding interest by the African leaders, maybe scared off by a perception they may be asked to keep migrants in their countries or lose EU funds.
The European Commission wants to offer an additional €1 billion to African countries if they agree to take back migrants arriving with no legitimate claims to asylum.
The measure is designed as an incentive to encourage African countries to repatriate their citizens whose asylum applications are rejected by EU states, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel.
Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's foreign minister, said that priority for asylum would be given to those suffering persecution in their home countries as defined by the Geneva Convention, Der Spiegel reported. But he said that he wanted refugees without the prospect of being granted permanent residence to be returned more quickly to their home countries, and that African countries of origin should be rewarded for helping to facilitate this.
"If an African country is prepared to take back their own people, who have no chance of getting asylum in Europe, then we Europeans should support that," said Mr Asselborn.
Finally, Malta will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November. Malta is hosting the CHOGM for a second time, having successfully done so in 2005. As an island state in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has served throughout history as a bridge between North Africa and Europe. Now, as the CHOGM host for 2015, Malta provides a platform for Commonwealth countries to come together to build bridges of cooperation. CHOGM Malta 2015 will be held between the 27 and 29 of November.
.These three meetings will stretch Malta’s hospitality and protocol capabilities and will surely be a security nightmare (We hope they will not also be a traffic nightmare). Here’s to hoping Malta – all Malta – will rise to the occasion(s).