From Euroscepticism to Euro-enthusiasm : how Malta weathered the Eurozone crisis

Abstract

Unlike other South European member-states of the EU, Malta did not experience any negative ramifications from the 2008 financial crisis and its eurozone membership has been stable, with the country enjoying sustained and high growth rates. Not surprisingly, Malta did not see the emergence of austerity-related euroscepticism after the crisis though a heavy influx of foreign nationals, from Africa and the EU, saw immigration become a key concern of the Maltese with the subsequent emergence of anti-immigrant, often anti-EU parties on the fringe of the party system. This article analyses the reasons why party and popular euroscepticism remain low and why the migration crisis did not dent support for the EU as well the durability of this scenario.