The European Charter of Local Self-Government : political and legal implications on Maltese legislation

Abstract

In 1993 Malta signed and ratified the European Charter of Local Self Government. In the same year, the Maltese Parliament approved the Law for the setting-up of Local Councils on the Maltese Islands, and initiated the proceeding for the elections to take place and local councils to start operating. This thesis will study the relationship between the two and seek to find what implications derive from the Charter on Maltese legislation by giving a detailed breakdown and explanation of all the articles of the Charter, an overview of the history and traditions of local government in Malta, and also the developments of legislation to date as well as proposals for reform currently on the table. The overall findings will show that the implications of the Charter on Maltese legislation have to date been limited, and are even more so in the proposals currently being fielded for amendment. This could possibly be changed in the future on the basis of any action or decision taken with regard to the current proposal regarding the recruitment of executive secretaries, which is being contested by the Local Councils Association.