Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/321747
MATTHEW VELLA THE Maltese foreign ministry has denied having stopped Czech ex- ports of armaments from being exported to destinations of their choice, after a complaint by the Czech Association of Defence and Security Industry's head Jiri Hynek. "Malta does not in any way stop Czech exports and Czech authori- ties from exporting to destinations of their choice. Malta is only in- volved in instances when the goods in question need to transit through its territory, in which case an appli- cation for a transit licence must be made and once approved, the tran- sit may proceed." Czech arms makers have claimed that Malta was "harming their busi- nesses" by not giving transit permits to their ships heading for Egypt, to which Czech arms worth 150 mil- lion crowns are annually exported. "Any application needs to be sub- mitted well before the expected shipping date to allow for sufficient time for an assessment to be made," the Maltese foreign ministry said. "The decision as to whether or not a licence is to be approved or oth- erwise remains Malta's national prerogative." According to the Military Equip- ment (Export Control) Regula- tions, a transit licence is required for military goods transiting Mal- tese territory, similar to exports. Transits of military material fall- ing under the EU Common Military List, similar to exports, undergo an assessment based on country of fi- nal destination and end-user. All licences, be it for export or transit, are assessed on a case-by-case basis and are guided by the EU Council's Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, the existence of sanctions current- ly in force against the country of final destination, any relevant EU Council Conclusions and general information on the country of des- tination. Czech complaints Czech arms exports have com- plained that exports to Egypt stopped last summer when be- tween August and October 2013, the European Union declared an embargo on the imports of weap- ons to Egypt over disturbances in the country. The Czech Association of De- fence and Security Industry head Jiri Hynek claimed that a "a doz- en of Czech arms exporters have problems with Malta. Any export- er who has cargo on the ship that makes a stop in Malta must apply for a transit permit," Hynek said. The vast majority of ships sailing to Egypt stop in Malta. Lukas Novotny, from Excalibur, one of the biggest Czech arms firms, said transit permits for vari- ous transit countries are generally a problem for Czech companies. "But this is simply part of trade with such a sensitive commodity," Novotny told the paper. Excalibur wants to export spare parts for BVP armoured vehicles to Egypt. Hynek said he hoped that Czech diplomacy will try to put the situa- tion right in Malta or the European Union. "The situation, where you must have a transit permit even for shipments that stay in the ship in the port, should be dealt with im- mediately," he said. At present, Czech arms makers export firearms and spare parts for L-39 Albatros planes to Egypt. News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 JUNE 2014 Foreign ministry replies to complaints by Czech arms industry association's that exporters are having problems exporting arms to Egypt, via Malta #%!&#$#'$ !!!#) % '#*#! &$%!%#* # $ '!! (% $%$ !!$ *!&#!( !%!# *!&#%! $%$!#% $&# "&!% ! !# %$%# $&# *%$&%!#+& #% $&# %##$% %!%$ %$!# %#% $#&%*% $&#'*!!#% %$ Ministry says all arms exports through Malta must have transit permit Excalibur wants to export spare parts for BVP armoured vehicles to Egypt