Ministers invited to meetings in Malta

28 July 2011

Assistant Chief Minister, UK and International Relations, Senator Freddie Cohen will depart on a 4-day trip to Malta on 31 July, where he will attend meetings with the country’s Prime Minister and a number of Malta’s senior political and business figures.

Accompanying Senator Cohen on the trip will be Treasury and Resources Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf, who will focus on Treasury-related matters.

The Ministers’ trip is at the invitation of the High Commissioner of Malta, His Excellency, Joseph Zammit Tabona, who met Senators Cohen and Ozouf during his visit to Jersey in September 2010. Mr Zammit Tabona has prepared a full programme for the visit, with around 20 meetings and appointments, including meetings with: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi; Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investments, Tonio Fenech; British High Commissioner to Malta, Her Excellency, Louise Stanton; and Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, Tourism and Culture, Mario de Marco.

Malta is one of the 2 countries with which Jersey has signed and ratified a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) and Senators Cohen and Ozouf will discuss finance-related matters in meetings with the respective chairmen of the Malta Financial Services Authority, the Malta Stock Exchange, and financial services promotional body Finance Malta.

Senator Cohen commented “Malta is a key partner within the European Union and a fellow island jurisdiction, and this visit will provide us with an opportunity to further strengthen our relationship and to enrich our understanding of Malta’s ancient culture. We are grateful to His Excellency, Mr Zammit Tabona for his hospitality and for the full programme he has devised, which will allow us to meet with the country’s senior government and business leaders.”