Malta in Austria welcomes Malta within the EU

A small town in Carinthia, Austria, marked Malta's accession to the European Union by dedicating the Christmas tree in the main square to the island which, incidentally, is its namesake.

Mayor Hanspeter Schaar said: "We have close relationships with Malta and we therefore decided to decorate a Christmas tree and dedicate it to the new EU member state".

In July 2003, Malta International Airport had hosted a number of Maltese journalists to a tour of Carinthia, the southern-most region of Austria. Their programme had included a visit to Malta, hidden in the Alp mountains and surrounded by waterfalls that converge into a valley called Maltatal.

The close relationship that developed since between the two Maltas led the Austrian town to dedicate the Christmas tree to Malta.

Mr Schaar said the idea came about after learning that for the past two years MIA received a Christmas tree donated from different regions in Austria.

"This Christmas we decided to dedicate a tree to Malta in our town, next time round we hope to donate a Christmas tree to MIA" Mr Schaar said.

The mayor said he hoped to lead a delegation to Malta this year to enhance the relationship between the two Maltas and to seek further cooperation in areas such as culture and tourism.