https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/17906 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:56:56 GMT 2026-04-10T11:56:56Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18763 Title: Sectoral impact : an insight into how the Maltese dairy sector adapted to EU membership Authors: von Brockdorff, Philip; Buttigieg, Gaetano Editors: Pace, Roderick Abstract: Following an explanation of the natural and structural disadvantages or major limitations of the Maltese dairy sector, this paper traces the challenges faced and the investment and changes that have taken place in the dairy sector as a result of EU membership; the sector’s performance as a result of this investment and upgrading in the first ten years of EU membership; and finally the future challenges facing the sector. This paper, therefore, shows the impact that EU membership has had on one particular sector and how, by adopting the EU acquis, usually referred to as ´Europeanisation’, the sector was able to modernise and maintain its buoyancy in the face of fierce competition which followed in the wake of the liberalisation of the domestic market. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18763 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18762 Title: A decade after EU membership : price control law in Malta revisited Authors: Fabri, David Editors: Pace, Roderick Abstract: This paper examines the significance and place of price control regulation in Maltese law more than a decade into EU membership. The significance of price controls in Maltese consumer policy and practice should not be underestimated. For many years, they have exercised a seductive effect on Maltese public opinion which still seems to consider restraints on unfair prices and price increases as their preferred consumer protection mechanism. For this reason, any discussion on consumer protection and legislation in Malta would be incomplete without considering the impact of extensive and strict price control legislation in force since before 6 the Second World War. This paper investigates the role and relevance of price controls in Maltese consumer law and their apparent endurance. The main national legislation is the Supplies and Services Act of 1947 which has been amended several times since it came into force on 30 December 1947. The EU consumer protection Directives and Community law neither require nor exclude State control of the price of consumer goods. No Directive on a harmonized price control procedure exists and price control does not constitute a specific part of the acquis. This paper chronicles relevant events, regulations, selected documentation and unusual episodes which throw light on the impact which EU membership has exercised on Malta’s pre-accession price regulation framework. It examines how this may have come about and what lessons may be usefully learnt from this peculiar experience. Citing wherever possible previously unpublished or little-known official reports and other documentation which are difficult to access, this paper places the regulation of prices of goods in the context of the island’s pursuit and achievement of EU membership. As EU membership grew imminent, official government policy inclined clearly towards overhauling, eliminating and reducing the existing price control rules to ensure their compatibility with the Community’s free movement of goods principles. In the post-membership era, price control regulation in Malta has proved to be more resilient than expected, creating scope for further clarification and investigation. This paper states the position of Maltese law as at 30 September 2015. A warning: although mandatory price indications have long facilitated and bolstered the enforcement of price controls, it lies beyond the scope of this paper to consider legislation on price indications and the transposition of the relative Directive. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18762 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18761 Title: Ten years of Malta’s EU membership - the impact on Maltese environmental NGOs Authors: Briguglio, Michael Editors: Pace, Roderick Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of Malta’s European Union (EU) accession on Environmental NGOs (ENGOs). For this purpose, environmental politics in relation to Malta’s EU accession are analysed. This is carried out by focusing on a selection of issues involving Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) (land development; climate change; hunting of birds and fishing of ‘blue fin’ tuna), as well as through data involving interviews with ENGO representatives. This paper verifies whether EU accession has effected lobbying by ENGOs; whether EU accession has enhanced the empowerment of ENGOs; and whether EU accession has led to the institutionalisation of ENGOs. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18761 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18716 Title: The Europeanisation of Maltese interest groups : a comparative study after the first decade of EU membership Authors: Vassallo, Mario Thomas Editors: Pace, Roderick Abstract: The most recognisable and researched impact of Europeanisation is upon government structures, processes and policies. However the study of its effects on domestic interest groups is still in its infancy stage. This article addresses such a gap in academic literature by examining to what extent interest groups are being exposed and influenced by European values and style of governance. Furthermore it also seeks to identify the typology of the enablers of change that are at play. Essentially, the article adopts a comparative and empirical case study approach, making use of mixed methodology, to investigate the complexity of the core issue from the Maltese and Irish perspective, as two small island member states at the periphery of an integrated continent. Findings confirm that interest groups in Malta and the Republic of Ireland are undergoing through a process of domestic change due to Europeanisation, yet their gradual transformation is being marshalled by differing logics of change. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18716 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z