The effects of EU membership on the role and expectations of Maltese local councils

Abstract

The first concrete step in forming Local Councils was taken in 1987 when the Nationalist Party at the time still in opposition, issued a document 'Fehmiet Bazici' which stated that the principles on which the party was going to act was the devolution of power and also that the party in question believed that more devolution would help the Maltese people to have a stronger say in the development of their locality. In 1989, during the Cabinet which took place on the 21 st of August, the government led by Dr. Edward Fenech Adami, set up an Inter-departmental Committee to come up with suggestions on the setting up of Local Councils. In the period after this set up, various consultations took place with various countries but especially with Northern Ireland. The Maltese government used as a guidelines, the Irish Act of Local Government which was approved in 1972. Another important document was the European Charter of Local Self Government which was ratified in the Maltese Parliament in 1987. When Malta joined the European Union, one of the mam criteria during negotiations was that of introducing the Principle of Subsidiarity in the management of a country. This principle is almost mentioned in all the treaties which created the European Union. Within the context of European Union all three parties believe that local Councils are still in their development. So experience is needed in order to fully benefit from this membership. According to Joseph Muscat, a Maltese Member of the European Parliament, now that he has experienced how the European Union works, said that in order for full expansion of Local Councils to take place, the central government should invest part of the budget in EU Programmes which would help these entities in expanding their cultural experiences and also it would be easier for these institution to apply for funds which would help their localities to manage better the environment and other aspects which are important for the management of our towns and villages.