UK products can continue to be enjoyed by Maltese customers at no extra charge thanks to the free trade agreement struck with the EU on Christmas Eve, British High Commissioner has said.
Cathy Ward said the agreement was for a zero-tariff-zero-quota free trade deal which in practice means that "people can continue to enjoy UK teas, baked beans and mince pies".
“I think this is really good news for trade between the UK and Malta,” she told Times of Malta in her first reaction to the Brexit deal announced just hours before Christmas Day.
EU countries have endorsed the agreement which must still be ratified by the European Parliament, probably in late February.
“Given that the UK will be out of the EU as at January 1, 2021, after the withdrawal agreement secured the rights of citizens, this free trade deal was the next most important aspect for maintaining a good platform for the future Malta-UK relations,” she said, adding that there were no plans to change any representation in Malta.
Apart from being a strong EU partner, Malta is also a member of the Commonwealth. “Malta will remain a very important partner but there is also a special history and special links between the two countries. The fact that this British High Commission is larger than that of other EU member states which are larger than Malta in terms of size and population is testimony to this special status,” she said.
She admitted that some red tape will increase because there will be some more forms that need to be filled in by importers, but she does not expect this to translate into higher prices for products sold in Malta.
Medical agreements between Malta and the UK will also remain in place as a result of Brexit.
On the education aspect, she said the UK government was currently in the process of building a programme similar to Erasmus which is offered to EU students. She said details on this programme were still sketchy, with more details expected to be available in the course of 2021. However, students already studying in any EU country will not see their rates increasing and can finish the course they are following.
Holidaying in Malta and the UK will also not change as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU. Travellers who want to travel to Malta will not need a visa unless staying for longer than three months. Maltese citizens going to the UK can stay there for up to six months without a visa. In 2019, 650,000 UK travellers came to Malta and she sees not reason why this should be impacted after the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
British pensioners residing in Malta will continue receiving their pensions in Malta but they need to register with Identity Malta until June 2021 and obtain a residency card to ensure their rights are protected.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has also welcomed the Brexit deal struck between the UK and the European Union.