Malta: accession to the European Union and progress in negotiations

The committee adopted the report by Ursula STENZEL (EPP-ED, A). While it took the view that Malta was well on the way to joining the EU as there was constitutional stability and a functioning market economy, the committee regretted the fact that government and parliamentary opposition held divergent views on Malta's accession to the EU. It expressed support for all efforts to safeguard the continuity of the accession process. Other items taken up in the report were the need for Malta to maintain its progress in introducing environmental legislation, and there was particular support for its efforts to ban the use of plastic bottles. Malta should also press on with agricultural reforms. Finally there was recognition of Malta's concerns over the potential disruption of the labour market in the event of a high inflow of workers following accession. �