"Party politics and the European question: The case of Malta"

Cini, Michelle. (2001) "Party politics and the European question: The case of Malta" . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2001 (7th), May 31-June 2, 2001, pages 21, Madison, Wisconsin.

Abstract

European integration is an issue that in many countries cuts across party political divisions. Malta is an extreme case of a country in which attitudes on Europe map directly onto those of two main parties. Given the small number of floating voters in Malta, the prospects for Maltese accession remain uncertain unless the link between the parties and the issue is broken. But as this paper shows this is unlikely to happen as it remains in the interests of the two parties for internal political reasons to maintain that link. This paper provides an overview of EU-Malta relations from the perspective of Maltese domestic politics. It reviews some of the issues and arguments used by both supporters and opponents of the EU, before focusing on the party political dimension of Malta's European question.