Malta: Gaining Independence and Joining the EU

Throughout our time in the Mediterranean, I have been studying whether the people of Malta culturally identify as Europeans, as well as their larger and more tangible connections with the continent overall. After a handful of conversations with citizens of Malta and Gozo, I have refined the scope of my studies to focus primarily on the process of Malta's achievement of independence, and accession to the European Union, as well as the reasons for and effects of each event.

After the terror of World War II, a 19-year process leading to Maltese independence saw numerous debates within the government and populace of the islands. Throughout these debates, there was actually a large movement towards further integration with the United Kingdom. At the time, Britain had a policy of allowing dependencies that were considered capable of self-defense and self-sufficiency to become independently operating nations, although still within the Commonwealth of Britain. Given Malta's limited size and extremely limited resources with respect to population, land area, and natural resources, the Maltese people, as well as the government, did not see a feasible path towards this kind of "self-determination;" however, this did not stop them from desiring such independence. ["Malta Asks for Closer Union with Great Britain", Edith Dobie, 1956] The Catholic Church was extremely opposed to this idea of Maltese independence, and encouraged Maltese Catholics to either oppose or abstain from the vote on this issue. Although the result of the vote favored integration into the Commonwealth, Britain got cold feet about granting Malta this status, referencing the large number of abstentions. Other debates in favor of independence obviously persisted through this period, and eventually, in 1964, Malta gained sovereignty.

Twenty-six years after the achievement of independence for the island nation, they applied for entrance to the European Union. As with any such transition, there was another lengthy debate. This debate nearly rivaled the debate regarding independence in terms of length - the process of joining the European Union spanned 14 years, during which time there were obviously differing opinions regarding the decision to join. Four years after entering the EU, the national currency was also changed to the Euro. The full effect and result of these decisions are still fluid and un-finished today, with differing situations and opinions persisting in various parts of the islands. During the remainder of our quickly-dwindling time here in the Mediterranean, I will be studying these effects, as well as the various opinions, impressions, and associations of Maltese citizens regarding the EU and Europe in general.