Maltese EU Council Presidency 2017
Maltese EU Presidency 2017 logo |
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|---|---|
| country |
 Malta
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| Term of office | January 1, 2017 - June 30, 2017 |
| Chair | George Vella |
| Web presence | eu2017.mt |
| trio | |
 Netherlands , Slovakia , Malta
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| chronology | |
| ◀ Slovakia | Estonia ▶ |
The Maltese Council Presidency marks the presidency of Malta in the Council of Ministers of the EU for the first half of 2017. This ends the trio Council Presidencies of the Netherlands , Slovakia and Malta. It is Malta's first presidency since the country became a member of the European Union in 2004. The country was replaced by the Council Presidency on July 1, 2017 by Estonia .
Priorities of the Maltese EU Council Presidency
Malta's priority is to use the presidency to further develop the European Union. The focus is on:
- migration
- Implementing the measures already agreed and ensuring that this topic remains at the top of the political agenda. Specifically, the Maltese Presidency supports u. a. the transformation of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) into a fully fledged EU agency. This is intended to advise and support the EU member states in dealing with migration issues.
- domestic market
- as the greatest strength of the Union - strengthening the digital single market and energy market , removing trade barriers, capital markets union
- safety
- One of the main tasks of the EU is effective diplomacy . The terrorist threat poses security challenges for the European Union during the Maltese Presidency. In order to improve the security situation, the EU interior and justice ministers adopted an amendment to the Schengen Borders Code under the Maltese Presidency in March 2017 . This innovation provides for stricter controls on entry into the European Schengen area via land, air and sea borders from non-Schengen countries. These changes do not affect the freedom of EU citizens to travel within the Scheng area. The innovations instruct border officials to systematically compare travel documents with the databases of the European security and visa authorities (including SIS , Interpol database) when entering the Schengen area . The Chairman of the JHA Council , the Maltese Interior Minister Carmelo Abela , justified the amendment as follows: “The systematic controls at the external borders give us the opportunity to avert potential threats to internal security; including the dangers posed by radical returning fighters. ”Also at the March meeting of the Justice and Interior Ministers, the ministers gave the Maltese Presidency the mandate, based on these tightened measures, in negotiations with the EU Parliament to establish the“ Entry-Exit ” -System "(EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).
- Social inclusion
- as a special focus of the Maltese government
- Europe's neighbors
- Support stabilization of Libya , restoration of the Middle East peace process between Israel and Palestine , strengthening of democratic transformation in Tunisia , contribution to international and EU measures regarding the conflict in Syria , deepening of the relationship between the EU and the Arab League , restoration of relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council
- Maritime
- Sustainability and continued development of the maritime sector in accordance with the EU Integrated Maritime Policy, innovative research and commercial activities, "Blue Growth Strategy", international maritime governance, launching the Western Mediterranean Basin initiative in connection with the " Blue Economy "
Informal meeting of heads of state and government on refugee policy
At the beginning of February 2017, the heads of government of the EU countries met for an informal summit in Malta, among other things to regulate the further procedure with regard to the refugees who want to enter the European Union via the Mediterranean Sea . It was found, among other things, that the number of refugees had decreased by 98% compared to the last four months of 2016 and that they wanted to continue to adhere to the agreement with Turkey. In particular, better cooperation between the neighboring countries should prevent repeated catastrophes in which large numbers of refugees drown in the Mediterranean because their unseaworthy boats sink. To this end, the police in Libya are to be supported in preventing the refugees from starting their journey across the Mediterranean.
In March and June, further meetings are planned within the framework of the Maltese Presidency, which will deepen and expand the decisions taken.
Brexit
In October 2016, the British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would submit her country's application to leave by the end of March 2017. The Brexit negotiations thus fell into the Maltese Council Presidency. Malta and Great Britain share a two-hundred-year colonial history that only ended with the independence of Malta in 1964. In his speech to the European Parliament in January 2017, the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat underlined the close, friendly relations between the two countries (which are also cultivated in the Commonwealth of Nations , among others ). He regretted the wish to leave and promised the United Kingdom “a fair deal”, “which, however, cannot be better than EU membership. Nobody should be surprised by this. Anything else would mean a detachment from reality, ”said the Prime Minister. Muscat also pointed out that the four fundamental freedoms of the EU would not be available.
logo
At the end of 2016, Malta officially presented the logo of the EU Council Presidency. As in 2016 for Slovakia, the logo of the EU Council Presidency of Malta was found in the way of a public tender. A design by Alexia Muscats was selected as the basis for the final concept for the logo. This design is based on the Maltese cross . The eight tips of the logo stand for the eight countries of origin of the knights as well as the eight virtues of the order : Truth , Faith , Penance , Humility , Justice , Mercy , Honesty and Perseverance . These eight virtues are an integral part of Maltese life. The Maltese cross is also a highly recognizable symbol of Malta. As a result, the design by Alexia Muscats was further developed and adapted. In particular, other typical Maltese products were featured, such as the Maltese lace, fireworks and the traditional Maltese floor tiles.
The logo is a Maltese cross reduced to the essentials, points in all directions and is intended to show the future-oriented perspectives of Malta. It looks forward, but also back, and unites the various influences and currents in the middle, whereby the diverse colors represent the sunrise and sunset and are thus intended to express the ongoing process of rebirth as well as renewal and reunification, characteristics that have shaped Europe be.
partner
Partners in the Council Presidency were Air Malta , GO, Malta Information Technology Agency, BMW , Muscat Motors, Malta Tourism Authority, Microsoft , Kinnie and HSBC .
additional
Web links
- Moving the strategic agenda forward - Council's eighteen month program (January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017) (PDF; 356 kB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Presidency of the Council
- ↑ Priorities of the Maltese Presidency
- ^ Nordic Council of Ministers: 'Pragmatic' Malta to take on eurosceptic. In: euobserver.com . January 11, 2017, accessed January 15, 2017 .
- ↑ EU2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017 .
- ↑ European Union Agency for Asylum: Council ready to start negotiations with Parliament - Consilium. Retrieved April 22, 2017 .
- ↑ EU2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017 .
- ↑ EU2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.eu2017.mt/de/Pressemitteilungen/Documents/pr03022017_DE.pdf
- ↑ Great Britain's farewell in installments . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on April 22, 2017]).
- ↑ Speech by Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the plenary session of the European Parliament on the priorities of the Presidency . EU2017.MT. January 18, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ↑ History of the development of the logo .
- ↑ This gave the aspiring visual artists and designers of the vocational school MCAST (Malta Institute of Art & Design) the opportunity to show their talents. 29 proposals were submitted, six of which were shortlisted.
- ↑ Maltese lace has been mastered since the 17th century and is a direct descendant of the Genoeser lace, whereby the Maltese lace has as its own characteristic the integration of the design of the Maltese cross .
- ↑ Maltese pottery is one of the oldest crafts in Malta.
- ↑ Instructions for using the logo .
- ↑ partner. In: www.eu2017.mt. Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
| predecessor | Rotation | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Slovak EU Council Presidency |
EU Council Presidency January 1, 2017 - June 30, 2017 |
Estonian EU Council Presidency |