Book review : Small states and EU governance : Malta in EU decision-making processes

Abstract

As the smallest of the member states of the European Union (EU), Malta conforms to many of the structural, economic and political limitations endemic to small states. Amongst these characteristics, one finds a small domestic market and limited room for competition, limited human capital, poor natural resources, labour market bottlenecks, and the costs associated with remoteness and insularity. However, like a number of other particularly successful small states – such as Qatar, Singapore and Bahrain – Malta has managed to achieve high levels of income per capita by leveraging its geostrategic location, its educated and specialised workforce, its robust legal and parliamentary systems, and its integrated financial sectors. As such, this is evidence of the policy-nurtured decisions that have enabled the building of resilience to overcome intrinsic small state weaknesses.