9:01am Tuesday 23rd January 2007
By Claire Truscott
One is known for its blazing sun, idyllic coastline and troubled political history - the other is an industrial Sussex port.
But Malta, an island in the heart of the Mediterranean, is joining forces with Newhaven in a bid for EU cash.
Malta is one of the poorest members of the European Union, but as a new arrival in the EU club, experts believe it is ripe for investment deals.
And officials at East Sussex County Council are working with their European friends to secure redevelopment funding.
Together with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), they are planning a partnership between Cottonera in Malta, Newhaven in East Sussex and Dieppe in France.
The three towns are to submit joint funding bids for economic, transport and tourism development projects, including a programme called Marco Polo, which aims to transport freight goods by railway from the countries' ports, and a skills development plan to attract larger employers to the areas.
Kieran McNamara, the county council's economic development officer, said: "As an accession country to the EU, Malta can access bigger funding pots, which is an advantage of working with it."
East Sussex council leader Peter Jones said people should not be surprised by a potential link with Malta.
He said: "If we believe a partnership with another EU area has the prospect of bringing in millions of pounds to help our residents then we will look at it."
Some links already exist between the two areas, with students from Sussex Downs College, with bases in Lewes, Newhaven and Eastbourne, maintaining a partnership with its counterpart in Malta.
A SEEDA spokeswoman said partnership negotiations were in the early stages.
Malta's location, between Europe and North Africa, has seen its ports suffer numerous battles, with various nations having fought over it.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.theargus.co.uk