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EWROPEJ 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 SEPTEMBER 2023 Open doors of EU market to Ukraine, Metsola says over future membership MATTHEW VELLA ROBERTA Metsola has reaf- firmed her commitment to see Ukraine become a member of the European Union, with even the removal of trade tariffs and internal market access before full membership. The president of the Europe- an Parliament told the Guard- ian that she expected member states to begin formal negoti- ations with Ukraine as early as December. Metsola warned against "pushing the can down the road" on enlargement, saying this would fuel nationalism and the far-right. "It increases the extremes on the political spectrum, the Euroscepticism. Campaigns in accession coun- tries are fought, and lost or won, on the basis of the dream and hope of the EU." But it will be EU ministers, who meet formally in December, to start talks, after going over a public report on Ukraine's pro- gress in reforming its judiciary, curbing corruption and opening its markets. Metsola said she expects a "concrete outcome" for the country, which has a popula- tion of 44 million. If Moldova and Albania also join, the EU's membership would jump from 27 to 30 states. "Of course the economic model that we have today is not one that would survive with 32 or 33 [member states]. But now is when we need to have that conversation. We've already started in the parliament," said Metsola. But she said candidate coun- tries should still be given ac- cess to the mobile phone free roaming in the EU, a popular policy, or access to EU funds, universities, student travel, and tariffs removal. "We said for years Ukraine could not be connected to the European electricity grid. It took us days to do that once the war started. At the end of the day it was always about po- litical will." Such access – a Turkey-style tariff-free customs union – could also include agriculture, given that Ukraine is a major supplier of poultry and wheat. Since war broke out, Ukraine has been trading freely within the EU after tariffs and quotas were suspended in June 2022. The concession will contin- ue up until June 2024. But EU farmers fear the increase in supply of poultry from Ukraine, which pushes down prices: Po- land, Hungary and Slovakia have warned they will continue to ban sales of Ukrainian grain to protect their own farmers. Metsola, 44, will be running for MEP in the 2024 elections, but her name has been mooted as a potential successor to Ur- sula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission, or returning to Malta to lead the Nationalist Party. This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. In Guardian interview, Metsola says Ukraine should be granted membership benefits before full accession Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky and Roberta Metsola MATTHEW AGIUS LAWYERS appearing for a man who is challenging the law regulating requests for the recusal of members of the judiciary had told a court that they are considering whether to summon the magistrate whose recusal they are requesting to testify in their constitutional case. The directors of Waste Collection Lim- ited, 39-year-old Muscat and his father Marius Muscat, 64, had both been convict- ed of fraud and using a false document to bid for a €335,300 contract in 2022. Marius Muscat had been handed a 16-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, while Adrian Muscat received a 22-month sentence, suspended for two years. The sentences were confirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in May. In November 2021, before the case was decided, Adrian Muscat's lawyer Matthew Brincat had requested the recusal of Magis- trate Donatella Frendo Dimech pointing to comments made by Frendo Dimech early on in the proceedings. The magistrate had refused the request. He subsequently re- peated his request at appeal stage, asking for the case to be declared null and sent back to the Court of Magistrates for a retrial. The man is claiming that his right to a fair hearing had been breached when the presiding magistrate had expressed an opinion about the case before hearing the evidence. In a sitting before Mr Justice Grazio Mer- cieca this morning, the lawyers told the court that they would prefer not to have to summon the magistrate to the stand, and that the testimony of the plaintiff and law- yer Matthew Brincat should suffice. Muscat's lawyers Jason Azzopardi, José Herrera, Franco Debono and Matthew Xuereb informed the court that they have two main witnesses: their client and lawyer Matthew Brincat, who would testify about the incident. They added that they were as yet undecided as to whether they should also summon the magistrate herself. "To be honest, we do not wish to sum- mon Frendo Dimech, as Brincat's testimo- ny should suffice." Furthermore, Muscat himself was told things by the magistrate," the lawyers said. The case will continue on November 2. Lawyer Julian Farrugia is representing the Office of the State Advocate in the proceedings. Magistrate may be called to testify in constitutional case over request for her recusal, defense says Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech