Malta: Small and Peripheral but Aiming for the Core of Europe

Malta is the smallest EU member state in terms of territory, population, and economy. Malta, in the centre of the Mediterranean, was a British colony until 1964, and its political and economic system bear a link to the British period. In the post-WWII drive to free the economy from its dependency on British military spending, successive governments cultivated tourism as well as manufacturing, in particular electronics and pharmaceuticals, as economic industries to bolster the country. In 1990, the Christian Democrats applied to join the EC with the issue of membership becoming divisive in this two-party state as the Socialists opposed. The issue was resolved in the 2003 EU referendum with a vote in favour, and Malta joined in 2004.