A small state and the European Union : Malta's EU accession experience

Abstract

Malta's application to join the European Union has faced a number of difficulties. Despite numerous hurdles, the negotiations are now bearing fruit and Malta is likely to be able to join the EU in 2004. However, there is nothing inevitable about this process, given opposition from the Maltese Labour Party and uncertainty surrounding the outcome of a referendum likely to take place in 2003. In this article, Malta's EU membership application is considered from the perspective of Malta as a small European state. It is argued that Malta's size, though at first sight an obstacle to the islands' negotiating position, may also be the source of credible arguments allowing the Maltese to win concessions from the EU. In making this argument, the article reviews and analyses Malta's accession experience in the light of Malta's domestic politics and the highly contested nature of the European issue within that country's public sphere.