A small state at the wheel : Malta’s contribution to reaching the new European consensus on development

Abstract

This chapter examines the contribution of Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union to EU Development Policy, which culminated with the signing of the New European Consensus on Development (NCD) in the final days of its term. The essay analyses the processes, influences and demands behind the drive towards the NCD, and explores the role that Malta’s Presidency played in concluding the text. Considering that Malta does not have a long track record in development policy, it was interesting to assess how it managed to drive the process to conclusion within the term of its Presidency. This is even more relevant, considering the nature of the NCD, which is not a typical EU document (i.e. it is neither a legal act nor a Council conclusion), but a hybrid text of political importance concluded between the EU and its Member States. The paper also looks into small state influence in the EU, and provides more empirical evidence for the theoretical framework of actor-based institutionalism, while further validating the hypotheses on how small states can influence EU decision making. [excerpt]