Malta and EU Membership : overcoming ‘vulnerabilities’, strengthening ‘resilience’

Abstract

Malta, a very small state, a micro–state, has never resigned itself to smallness. The nature of such states’ vulnerability is seen as both inherent and contingent. Micro states can by following prudent domestic policies and by strategically positioning themselves in the regional and global system, strengthen their resilience to both these types of vulnerability. This article outlines how the EU may ‘enlarge’ such states in both economic and security–political terms. It offers such states increased opportunities for dealing with the social, economic, environmental and security challenges which they face thus helping them to reduce their vulnerabilities while increasing their resilience to exogenous and endogenous shocks.