Ministerial Visit Strengthens Ties Between Malta And Italy

By Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

29 May 2003

On a recent visit to Malta, Italian Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said the Italian government had a strong desire to strengthen bi-lateral ties and future co-operation with the island.

The meeting between Castelli and his Maltese counterpart Tonio Borg was part of a tour of acceding European states being undertaken by the Italian minister and he said the main objectives of talks were twofold:

“This visit is intended to reaffirm the personal relationships between the two countries,” adding that the visit was intended to show that all European member states were on an equal footing.

Mr Borg meanwhile stressed that the friendship between the close neighbours remained strong, and had done so throughout history. This had been underlined by the Lm7 million received by Malta from Italy as part of a financial protocol so that the Civil Defence Department could be re-equipped with modern appliances. Borg also stressed that EU membership was bound to strengthen the ties between the two nations.

The main focus of the meetings between the Italian minister and his Maltese counterpart centred on justice and the fight against crime. However, the proximity of Italy to the jurisdiction, especially now the EU has been thrown into the equation, is likely to have ramifications in the sphere of taxation in the coming years.

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