The geographical proximity of Malta and Italy has meant that the relations between them have generally been that of good neighbours.
The Italian ambassador to Malta, Fabrizio Romano, in a recent article in Times of Malta, said that “Italy and Malta maintain a strong and friendly relationship, distinguished by deep-rooted political, cultural, social and commercial ties, as well as shared historical experience and tradition.”
Prime Minster Robert Abela emphasised the strong relations between the two countries in his weekly Sunday address.
His visit to Italy, where he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, confirmed the mutual trust that underpins the relationship between the two countries. While the two leaders reviewed several issues of mutual interest in the press conference at Palazzo Chigi, the two most critical priorities for the two countries are the challenges of migration from North Africa and the importance of promoting energy independence from Russia.
Boat migration remains one of the top EU challenges. Abela described human traffickers as abusing people’s desperation, pointing out that being at the frontier, “Malta and Italy are also victims of this abuse”.
A lasting solution to the migration crisis has been elusive. The EU has tried to promote the concept of burden sharing until it was clear that NIMBYism prevailed over everything else. It was then prepared to pay North African political leaders to encourage them to stop illegal migration.
This strategy was only partially successful because of the political instability in Libya and Tunisia. More importantly, the desperation of millions of Africans meant they were prepared to do anything, even risk their lives, to flee from misery.
Meloni has relaunched a migration initiative that has often been discussed in the past but so far has not been successful.
The Piano Mattei is based on encouraging non-predatory cooperation between European and African countries to ensure all partners benefit and grow through trade and investment.
The immediate objective is to wean Italy away from dependence on Russian gas within two years and later create an energy hub in the Mediterranean to distribute North African energy to the rest of the EU.
Malta will do well to buy into this ambitious plan. It is equally essential that human rights remain at the forefront of any initiative to deal with the migration issue.
In recent years relations between Malta and Italy have grown stronger, as evidenced by statistics quoted by Meloni and Romano. Trade between the two countries increased by 10 per cent in 2022 over the previous year. In 2022, Italy was the biggest supplier of goods to Malta and the second biggest destination market for Maltese exports. In the tourism sector, 398,000 Italians visited our islands last year, while 227,000 Maltese chose Italy for their holidays. Italians account for 10 per cent of foreign residents on the islands. This is the largest non-Maltese community in our country.
There are, of course, some unresolved, long-lasting issues between the two countries. Meloni referred to the ‘median line’ and ‘exclusive economic zone’ disputes between Malta and Italy. This issue is unlikely to be resolved in the short term, especially as both countries have more urgent priorities in the evolving EU scenario.
Malta and Italy must continue to be credible partners in the EU to focus attention on the common challenges they face on the southern frontiers. This cooperation is crucial for both countries as well as the EU as a whole.