Malta took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from Slovakia on 1 January 2017. Malta, which became an EU Member State in 2004 and joined the Eurozone in 2012, will preside over the EU Council for the first time during the first semester of 2017. Malta, which is the smallest country in the EU is composed of 420,000 inhabitants and is an important transit country with respect to migrant flows stemming from North Africa towards the EU. The most important sources of revenue of the Maltese economy consist of tourism, trade and financial services. It will constitute the last country of the Trio composed of the Netherlands and Slovakia to hold the Presidency of the Council.  Maltese Presidency will end on 30 June 2017 where it will leave the floor to Estonia.

The Maltese Presidency will focus on six priorities: the implementation of migration measures and the prioritisation of migration-related issues, the modernisation of the Single Market, the assurance of security through effective diplomacy, the social inclusion of women, minorities and vulnerable groups, the stabilisation of the EU’s neighbourhood and the sustainable and job-creating maritime policies.

Priorities of the Maltese Presidency

With regards to the urgent challenge of migration, the Maltese Presidency aims to achieve a better and fair distribution of asylum seekers among Member States by strengthening and reforming the Common European Asylum System, revising the Dublin Regulation and ensuring better implementation of the relocation of 160,000 people in need of internal protection. In order to tackle the root causes of migration, the European External Investment Plan will be continuously pursued under the Maltese Presidency.

In order to increase the functioning of the Single Market and exploit its benefits to its fullest, the Maltese government intends to end roaming charges throughout Europe, effectively address geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on consumers' place of residence or nationality. Moreover, Malta wants to complete the Internal Energy Market by reviewing the Energy Efficiency package and strengthening the security of energy supply for all EU citizens. The European Fund for Strategic Investment, which is significant for advancing a Digital Single Market, Energy Union and Capital Markets Union, will be extended in time and financial capacity under the Maltese Presidency and funding sources for SMEs will be diversified through further developing the Capital Markets Union. In addition, Malta aims to further develop the Digital Single Market within the framework of its Presidency as it aims at reassigning the high speed 700 MHz band to wireless broadband services and working towards an agreement to provide free Wi-Fi in all urban as well as rural areas throughout the EU.

Regarding security, the Maltese Presidency will also give priority to the improvement of the management of the EU’s external borders through the establishment of a registry system for third country nationals and the foundation of an EU Travel Information and Authorisation System for visa-exempt third country nationals. The fight of terrorism and organised crime is a top priority for Malta as it intends to enhance the exchange and management of information by means of interoperable database solutions, increase cross-border cooperation regarding criminal justice by improving the governance structure of Eurojust and achieve political agreement on the fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive.

Social inclusion is another priority of this Presidency as Malta wants to improve the inclusion of women in the labour market especially for the director positions at stock corporations and continue to combat gender-based violence through the exchange of best practices among the Member States.

For a safer and more prosperous Europe, the Maltese Presidency will work on stabilising the EU’s southern neighbourhood, prioritising on a peaceful transition in Libya and Syria and continued support for Tunisia’s democratic transition. Furthermore, Malta plans to strengthen the EU’s relationship with the League of Arab States and revitalise relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council. With respect to the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, Malta has stressed the need for enhanced cooperation with Russia on international issues while also continuing to support the Ukraine.

Being an island in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta’s agenda includes pursuing a coherent, comprehensive and effective EU maritime policy to improve the international ocean governance framework and sustainability as well as launching a Western Mediterranean Sea Basin Initiative in early 2017.

Malta will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU at a very critical and challenging time for European integration as the UK is expected to start Brexit negotiations by triggering Article 50 and the EU is trying to regain trust and support by its citizens while fighting rising extremism and national populism. Moreover, the French presidential elections and Dutch general elections, which will be highly significant for the future of the EU and European integration, fall into the time period of the Maltese Presidency.

The first summit meeting of the Maltese Presidency has also already been announced. Indeed, EU leaders will gather in Valetta on 3 February 2017 in the context of an unofficial meeting. It is expected that the EU future following Brexit will be discussed in the meeting where the UK will not be represented.

The Maltese Presidency and Turkey

The two critical areas which are scheduled to be high in the agenda of Turkey-EU relations during the Maltese Presidency are expected to be constituted of the continuing cooperation with respect to the refugee crisis along with the opening of negotiations towards a modernisation of the Turkey-EU Customs Union. It is foreseen that the agreement which was signed between the parties in March 2016 will continue to be enhanced with further cooperation in other areas as well. Furthermore, the negotiations towards a long lasting solution to the Cyprus issue are also expected to be a matter of discussion between the parties and Malta has already expressed its willingness to work together with Turkey in that respect.