Malta and France have found a very good balance of combining what is important to us bilaterally, with providing solutions to our region and the international community more broadly, says Ambassador of Malta to France Helga Mizzi.
Two years as Ambassador of Malta to France – what have been the highlights to date?
These two years have been a most rewarding experience as the terrain is very fertile for increased cooperation. Very good results were attainable with a good amount of effort and enthusiasm, and of course the support of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion in Malta. During my term in office thus far, I have noticed a quality shift in Malta’s profile in France.
One of the more memorable highlights would be the visit to France conducted by Minister for Foreign Affairs Carmelo Abela, on the occasion of the July 14 celebrations in 2018. The visit culminated in official talks with his counterpart, Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, which served to give our bilateral and regional cooperation a further push and resulted in the signing of an Agreement of Cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries.
On the same occasion, I had organised an event at the Embassy between Minister Abela and the impressively sizeable Maltese diaspora in France.
This community event further enriched the value of the Minister’s visit, first of all because the Maltese-French community had been longing for decades for this kind of welcome as part of the Maltese diaspora worldwide. Secondly, this encounter served to further broaden our own concept of Maltese migration, away from the very familiar cases of relatives in Australia, Canada, the US and the UK.
A tangible outcome also resulted from the event, and perhaps I can list this as one of the landmarks of my tenure, as a representative from France was nominated to sit on the Council for the Maltese Abroad, to represent the interests of the community members in France. This was an accomplishment which the community very highly appreciated and one of which I am most proud.
I cannot refer to leading results in recent months without mentioning Malta’s accession to the Organisation de le Francophonie during the Summit held in Yerevan, Armenia in October 2018. This was a very bold decision by Malta, a country traditionally associated with the English-speaking world, which paid off very positively. We are already reaping the benefits of our membership through cooperation with OIF operators such as TV5 Monde and the Alliance Française in Malta. Apart from the immediate benefits that come with membership, this is a window of opportunity to enhance Malta’s presence globally and we are very satisfied that our efforts have already yielded results.
Politically, how would you describe the relations between Malta and France? And on what issues are the two countries on the same page?
Relations between the two countries are at their highest point ever. This can easily be seen from the frequency of high-level visits and meetings held in both Malta and France. I have had the pleasure of welcoming several incoming Maltese delegations led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as several other ministers to discuss issues ranging from the purely political, to infrastructure, education, culture, the environment, agriculture, which all contributed to the generation of unprecedented dynamism in our relations.
What is most notable in the way our relations have developed is that we seem to have found a very good balance of combining what is important to us bilaterally, with providing solutions to our region and the international community more broadly.
This applies perfectly to the Mediterranean – a subject which both countries treat as a priority on their foreign policy agendas. We are really working hand in hand in all the bodies of which we are mutual members - Union for the Mediterranean, 5+5, EU MED 7 and Parliamentary Assembly for the Mediterranean - to address long lasting and emerging challenges in this region, that go well beyond the strict parameters of security and stability.
As the most recent examples of shared vision and hands-on cooperation on Mediterranean issues, one could cite the EU MED 7 Summit held in Malta as well as the Sommet des Deux Rives or Summit of the Two Shores held in Marseille, which was attended by Minister Abela as well as civil society representative from Malta.
Held on June 23-24, this summit saw its first political mention in the Declaration adopted at the 5+5 Ministerial Meeting in January 2019 hosted by Malta and attended by Minister Le Drian. During this January visit to Malta, a further round of bilateral talks was held to cover range of issues that are important to the two countries while at the same timekeeping the Mediterranean front and centre of the occasion.
Keen on a Europe of values and solidarity, one that steers clear from concepts of exclusion and prejudice
Foremost among the issues discussed between the two Ministers was Libya – a dossier that ranks very high on both Malta’s and France’s diplomatic agendas. Even on this front, our cooperation been a tangible one based on concrete steps for a possible peaceful way ahead. Prime Minister Muscat participated in the Paris Summit on Libya of May 2018, which brought together the leading political factions in the country and which saw the adoption of an Action Plan that paves the way ahead.
Europe is also an issue upon which Paris and Valletta practically see eye to eye. Both are keen on a Europe of values and solidarity, one that steers clear from concepts of exclusion and prejudice. Above all, both contribute actively to Europe of solidarity and this was clearly manifested when trying to find solutions to the cases of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean over the past year. France and Malta’s cooperation was, and very much remains, exemplary.
On the global level, I would identify climate change, stability in the Middle East, and a global solution to migration as primary dossiers of cooperation between Malta and France, and which both invest their energies in the pertinent fora, especially the United Nations.
You recently spoke at a forum commemorating 30 years of the Maltese-French Chamber of Commerce. In what ways does the MFCC contribute towards better trade and commerce relations between the two countries?
I find the MFCC to be the best-placed umbrella group, presently in operation, through which we can foster direct and focussed contacts between operators and above all an understanding of the business environment and opportunity in the respective countries.
During the past two years, I have had the pleasure of working directly with the Chamber during seminars and familiarisation visits I organised both in Paris as well as in the cities with most business and investment potential throughout the French territory.
By way of example, on January 30-31, 2018, representatives from Malta Enterprise, Finance Malta, the Malta-France Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Tourism Authority visited Paris and Lille to address business events organised by the Embassy of Malta to France. The focus of the events was that of underpinning Malta’s strong economic performance and identifying ways in which Franco-Maltese commercial relations can be further intensified. The Maltese delegation had the opportunity to meet several France-based commercial stakeholders including the Ambassadors’ network in Paris, the Lille and Lille-Arras World Trade Centre, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris and CCI International Hauts-de-France.
The Chamber’s added value lies in their formidable networking capabilities and the profiling efficiency with which they link entrepreneurs to the pertinent authorities or, better still, potential business partners.
I would recommend this kind of format be replicated with other important commercial partners for Malta. Equally important is the openness of the Chamber to new and emerging fields, such as AI and cryptocurrencies and the accent it places on modernising its membership to include these, and related fields.
Recent statistics show that while exports in goods and services from France to Malta have increased by 144 per cent, those from Malta to France have enjoyed an increase of 32 per cent. What is contributing to this growth and which sectors can fare better?
In recent years, overall trade between Malta and France has generally ranged from €450m to €550m in value. In 2018, trade activity was above this average, reaching €563m, of which €294m were imports and €268.8m exports. Last year, the major import products from France consisted of electrical machinery, aircrafts and aircraft parts. On the other hand, exports were mostly made up of electrical machinery and mineral fuels.
It is worth noting that during the first three months of 2019, imports from France amounted to €72.1m, when compared to the €40.8m during the same period in 2018.
On the manufacturing front, a success story of French investment in Malta is ST Microelectronics which can be considered as one of the largest manufacturing plants in Malta measured by the number of employees and exports. Malta’s Freeport is presently operated by French container and shipping company CMA CGM.
There has been significant interest and investment from a number of French companies in the financial sector as well as several online gaming companies. Indeed, Malta has witnessed an increase in the number of French companies in the services sector, ICT and digital media.
In terms of enhancing economic activity and investment from France in the future, I would look at advanced manufacturing: such as precision engineering, pharmaceuticals, aircraft parts, software development, AI and cryptocurrencies.
The same could be said for aviation, an area in which Malta has set up a centre of excellence for the maintenance and servicing of aircraft, together with the provision of training for aeronautical technicians and mechanics. Malta also has a fast-growing aircraft registry, which is supported by a flexible and competitive legal structure.
The Embassy works very closely with Malta Enterprise, Trade Malta, Finance Malta, Malta Government Investments and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority in bringing to the fore the incentives and business infrastructure that Malta provides to the French investor. Meanwhile, the Ministry’s Commercial Diplomacy Unit supports the Embassy with any required assistance for initiatives meant to enhance Malta’s profile as a destination for business and investment.
Would better connections between the two countries contribute to growth in tourism between Malta and France?
The two countries are already very well connected, with flights operating daily from the two Paris airports Charles de Gaulle and Orly. Other regional hubs are also serviced by direct flights such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice to mention but the major ones. This has resulted in record tourism figures, which we intend to keep building upon.
Last year was a record one, where we registered an extraordinary 200,000 French visitors to Malta, comprising approximately 10 per cent of the entire inbound tourism to Malta.
The trend in the increase in the number of French visitors appears to be on track as statistics show another increase of 17 per cent in the first two months of this year to 18,000 compared with the corresponding months of 2018. Their total outlays whilst in Malta reached €10.5 million, a six per cent increase within the same timeframes.
Malta is looked at as a model and standard-setter
These days one can really say that French tourism to Malta is not restricted to any particular period of the year. Our French guests travel mostly to experience our historical and cultural heritage, something they can do all year round and not only in the summer months. The feedback I receive at the Embassy is a very positive one with Valletta, Mdina and Gozo being the preferred sites in light of their unique histories.
I should underline the outstanding work being conducted by the Malta Tourism Authority Office in Paris all year round, to ensure that Malta remains firmly on the tourism radar in France.
AI, blockchain and cryptos are the new kids on the business block. Are Malta and France collaborating in these sectors?
Malta’s profile as the Blockchain Island and its ground-breaking moves in the realm of Distributed Ledger Technologies have received increasing attention from France over the past couple of years.
The fact that Malta has actually passed legislation to regulate this domain has attracted several French actors in the field, as not only does Malta offer the comfort of an EU jurisdiction but it also drew up a steadfast legislative framework. The speed with which Malta has been able to do so comes across as very impressive with French actors in this sphere.
In a way Malta is very much looked at as a model and standard-setter not only at grass roots level but also at a national and international one. In fact, Malta was invited to participate in two milestone events in Paris, namely the GovTech Summit and the Internet Governance Forum both held in November 2018 and attended by Prime Minister Muscat and the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri respectively.
What is noteworthy on both fronts is not so much what Malta has managed to achieve for itself in these fields, but the role it can play in sharing its expertise on how such innovative tools can contribute directly to the improvement of citizens’ lives.
What were the main outcomes of the South EU Summit, especially regarding the relations between Malta and France?
The EUMED7 Summit in itself was a further platform for Malta-France coordination on issues that impinge on stability and growth in our shared neighbourhood as well as matters related to the European Union such as the Multiannual Financial Framework, social rights, the eurozone. Stability in the Mediterranean, the situation in Libya and the prevailing scenario there also featured among the issues that saw agreement between Malta and France, together with the other five members.
In terms of Malta-France relations, the Summit resulted in a very significant meeting between the Hon. Prime Minister and the President of the French Republic Emanuel Macron at the Auberge de Castille. While the two meet regularly in European Council Meetings, as well as other international gathering worldwide, the fact that the official talks were held in Valletta adds striking momentum to excellent relations between the two leaders but also the countries themselves.