Estonia and Malta

Bilateral relations

Malta recognised Estonia on 26 August 1991 and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 1 January 1992.

In May 1996, William Spiter became the first Maltese ambassador to Estonia, residing in Bonn. From 1997-2000, Malta was represented by Charge d’Affaires John Busuttil. In 2000, Eric Gerada-Azzopardi became the Maltese ambassador to Estonia, residing in Stockholm. Mark Miceli-Farrugia was the Maltese ambassador from 2002-2007. The current Maltese ambassador to Estonia is Laurence Grech, who resides in Valletta and presented his credentials on 3 September 2008.

Malta’s honorary consul in Estonia is lawyer Aku Johannes Sorainen (exequatur 26 November 2003).

From 1999-2002 the Estonian ambassador to Malta was Jaak Jõerüüt. Within the period of 2003-2006, Estonia was represented in Malta by Jüri Seilenthal. From 2006-2010 the Estonian ambassador to Malta was Andres Tomasberg. As of 25 November 2010 the Estonian ambassador to Malta is Merike Kokajev, who like her predecessors resides in Rome.

Honorary Consul Lorraine Arrigo represents Estonia in Malta (exequatur 21 December 1999).

Visits and Meetings

Agreements

Estonia and Malta have signed the Agreement on the Abolishment of Visa Requirements, which was signed on 2 December 1997 and came into force on 1 January 1998.

The Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation was signed on 3 May 2001 and came into force on 22 January 2003.

Economic Relations

Economic ties and trade between Estonia and Malta have thus far remained modest. Trade volumes have remained stable and the trade balance is positive for Estonia. In 2009 Malta was Estonia’s 69th trade partner, in 2010 it ranked 76^th, in 2011 it was 77^th, and in 2012 Malta ranked as Estonia’s 71^st trade partner. Estonian export to Malta grew in 2012. Goods totalling 7.68 million euros in value were exported (exports in 2011 valued 3.3 million). Import from Malta declined in 2012. Goods totalling 314 thousand euros in value were imported. Total trade turnover with Malta makes up 0.1% of Estonia’s total trade. Both Malta and Estonia are willing to increase communication between the two countries in the sectors of trade, investments and tourism. Within the framework of the state visit of President Arnold Rüütel, entrepreneurs organised a business seminar in the Malta Chamber of Commerce that introduced the Estonian economy and arranged meetings with Maltese businessmen. Two agreements were signed by institutions in Estonia and Malta within the framework of the seminar—a co-operation agreement between the chambers of commerce and industry of the two nations, and a co-operation agreement between organisations supporting public enterprises. President of Malta George Abela was also accompanied by a business delegation when he visited Estonia in the summer of 2012. Meetings took place in the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a memorandum of understanding between the chambers of commerce in both countries was signed.

In March 2007, Malta was visited by a 12-member delegation from the Bank of Estonia, led by bank president Andres Lipstok. The main goal of the visit was for the central banks to exchange notes on their experiences, and for Estonia to get an overview of Malta’s economy and banking.

Tourism is a rapidly developing branch of the economy for both Malta and Estonia. The Estonian Tourism Board and the Malta Tourism Board have had good co-operation for many years doing tourism studies, since both of the boards belong to the European Travel Commission.

Estonian-Maltese trade 2006-2012 (in thousands EUR):

All economic figures originate from the Statistical Office of Estonia

Main export articles to Malta:

• Transportation vehicles – 52.2%
• Plant products – 35.3%
• Mineral products – 3.3%

Main import articles from Malta:

• Machinery and equipment – 88.1%
• Chemical products – 7.3%

Investments

According to data from the Bank of Estonia, as of 31 December 2012 Malta had made direct investments in Estonia with a total value of 17.8 million euros. The most investments were made in financial and insurance activity and real estate.  Estonian direct investments in Malta totalled 3.2 million euros in value. The main sectors for investments were professional, educational and technical activity as well as real estate and financial and insurance activity.

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