The Double Tax Agreement between Egypt and Malta was signed on the 20th February 1999 and entered into force on the 7th April 2001 through Legal Notice 205/2001. The intention underlying the Agreement to, inter alia, prevent double taxation and introduce legal certainty is set to attract investors and trade opportunities between the two states. To date, Egyptian shareholders hold an interest in approximately 70 Maltese companies.
In September 2011, during a reception celebrating the 47th Anniversary of the Independence of Malta organised by the Embassy of Malta in Cairo, the Ambassador of Malta to Egypt, H.E. Mr. Giovanni Miceli referred to the excellent relations that exist between the two states and the advancement of these relations. Malta has always enjoyed friendly relations with the Arab world, particularly with Egypt. Further, the two states cooperate on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership level launched at the 1995 Barcelona Conference between the European Union and its originally 12 Mediterranean Partners including Malta.
In 2010 the Hon. Dr. Tonio Borg visited Cairo for meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt as well as with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, apart from another meeting with the representatives of Youth Movements who were behind the January 25 revolution. Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding for Visa Waiver for Diplomatic Service and Special Passports and a Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Cooperation in Cairo. These agreements are part of 11 bilateral agreements mainly covering areas such as air services, cultural, technical and scientific co-operation, tourism and double taxation.
On the occasion, the Maltese Foreign Minister held that the relations between the two states were excellent and encouraged higher levels of cooperation, particularly with regard to trade and investment. To this end, seminars are regularly held by the Maltese embassy in Cairo in collaboration with local representatives in trade and investment. One event in particular saw the participation of Egyptian and foreign legal and business consultants in a seminar on financial services and residence permits offered by Malta organised jointly by the Embassy of Malta in Cairo and the Representative Office of a Maltese Bank in Egypt.
The Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel received Malta’s Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Dr. Austin Gatt and his accompanying high-level delegation in Cairo in June 2010. The two ministers discussed means of boosting bilateral cooperation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Malta is considered a gateway for European Union countries to reach out southern Mediterranean states while there are real investment opportunities in the Egyptian market for Maltese ICT companies. For his part, Dr. Gatt expressed great interest in the e-learning centres in Egypt and the possibility of making use of the Egyptian expertise in this area as well as in the management of technology parks.
