A direct flight from New York to Malta, if it had to operate, would take you 11 hours. As it is, with a couple of stops on the way, you would need around 20 hours to leave from JFK International and land in Luqa.
However, it wasn’t the hours that separate New York from Malta that worried French Ambassador to Malta Béatrice le Fraper du Hellen. Rather, it was her expectations of the difference in pace of work.
“Before coming to Malta, I spent four years in New York as counsellor and legal advisor at the French permanent representation to the United Nations,” says Ambassador le Fraper du Hellen. “My schedule, as you can imagine, was quite hectic.
“Then, when I was posted to Malta, I started doing my research and familiarised myself with the beauty of the island. The impression that I was given was that this was a sunny island where life was leisurely and that my stay here would be very different from New York.
“However, when I arrived here last February, I found a very busy island. Small in size, Malta makes the most of its EU membership and its strategic geographic location. I found an island that wants to do business and that has valuable experience.
“The impressions that pace might be less hectic in Malta disappeared in a few hours and soon I had a very busy desk. I am lucky I can count on a great network of institutions such as the French-Maltese Chamber of Commerce or the Alliance Française in Malta to help me out.”
Ambassador le Fraper du Hellen started her diplomatic career as third secretary in Cotonou, Benin and was then appointed to the United National and International Organisation Directorate at the Foreign Ministry of France. Her next diplomatic post was at the French Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva. In 1994, she moved to Los Angeles where she was appointed as cultural attaché.
Ambassador le Fraper du Hellen then served as counsellor to the legal advisor of the foreign ministry between 1996 and 2000, after which she served for four years at the French permanent representation to the North Atlantic Treaty organisation in Brussels. For the following two years, she was deputy director in charge of human rights at the Foreign Ministry. In 2006, she was seconded to the Hague International Criminal Court, a post which she occupied till 2010.
“My role in Malta is to promote and facilitate the relationship between Malta and France, at a business, political and cultural level,” she says.
“There is already a very good business relationship in sectors such as financial services. However, France enjoys leadership in various sectors such as Industrial innovation and alternative energy. Our relationship with Malta can benefit a lot from raising awareness of such sectors.
“For business relations to thrive, we cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Malta has singular characteristics which warrant tailor-made solutions. Moreover, given the business landscape in Malta, we need to focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.
“Yet it’s not a one-sided approach because France can also benefit from good relations with Malta. For French entrepreneurs, Malta is important in itself but also because it is an EU member, a Commonwealth country and has valuable experience in doing business with other countries in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
“The two economies have similarities and therefore we can learn from each other. For instance, for both Malta and France, tourism and the services industry are very important contributors to the economy. We can also share knowledge in other areas. Marseille was European Capital of Culture in 2013 and Valletta will have that status in 2018. I am also working to help establish more structural partnerships between Maltese and French authorities and entities as well as exchanges between the educational institutions in both countries.”
For many Maltese, France is the land of wine, good food and the Eiffel Tower.
“We have to respect those perceptions because they are true,” Ambassador le Fraper du Hellen says. “However, beyond that, there is a lot more. Last year, for the first time, Malta received more than 125,000 French tourists, which means that more French people are learning what Malta has to offer. In the same way, I encourage Maltese travellers to explore other areas outside Paris. France’s tourism offerings are so diverse, ranging from museums to sport, vintage car events and horse racing in various regions.
“It is through such exchanges that we can learn more about each other and from each other.”
Malta and France also share another concern: the situation of migrants in the Mediterranean. Recently, French President François Hollande said that quotas for migrants in Europe were “out of the question” but said that he supported a better distribution of refugees between EU countries.
“Our position is not to say no to the proposals of the European Commission,” Ambassador le Fraper du Hellen says. “Rather, our concern is with the word ‘quotas’. When discussing asylum seekers, we need to do so within the context of refugee law and human rights. France will consider relocations and resettlements. In principle, we agree that all EU countries should have equal responsibilities – however, we must keep in mind two very important considerations. First of all, there are international obligations under refugee law. Secondly, statistics should be interpreted well. For instance, Malta has experienced a drop in migrant arrivals – however, the island is still carrying the responsibility of arrivals from previous years. Moreover, while some countries did a lot for migrants in recent years, other countries didn’t.
“We feel that the words ‘quotas’ and ‘burden’ are not appropriate within the migrant context. We are talking about human beings here.
“The bigger picture is political stability and dialogue because these are the foundation of stability and good economic performance. Malta has the ear of the French political leaders and the two countries have a strong political relationship. Moreover, Malta and France hold dialogues not only in the EU context but also in specific Mediterranean fora such as the 5 Plus 5 or within EU in the Mediterranean Group, which was previously called the Olive Group, which brings together foreign ministers of Mediterranean EU member states.
“It is only through such dialogue that we can continue strengthening our relationship.”