Malta
President
Prime Minister |
George Vella (Labour Party, since April 2019)
Robert Abela (Labour Party, since January 2020) |
Population | 493,559 (2019) |
Size | 316 km2 (122 sq. miles) |
MEPs | 6 (joined the EU in 2004) |
Next presidential election
Next legislative election |
2024
2022 |
Presidency of the Council | After 2030 |
Last meeting with Boris Johnson | None held to date |
Brexit priorities | Malta is a member of the Commonwealth and has a long history with the UK. Therefore, the countries’ ties are strong and Malta will be losing a strong ally in the EU when the UK leaves. However, Malta also sees opportunities in Brexit. As English is widely spoken and the country has a favourable business climate, Malta will be looking to attract companies that are currently based in London and want to move to an EU country to open subsidiaries. Firms dealing with financial services are of particular interest to Malta, as those could really boost its economy.
Malta played a key role in the Brexit negotiations as it held the Presidency of the Council of the EU when Brexit negotiations began. |
What former Prime Minister Muscat said on Brexit | “Even the most pro-UK countries – the Netherlands, Estonia, Ireland – say you cannot have your cake and eat it… Expect the format to be more or less like what happened with Greece.”“We would be really playing with fire if the European parliament is not part of the wider workings of the deal.”“We want a fair deal for the United Kingdom, but that deal necessarily needs to be inferior to membership.” “I’m starting to believe that Brexit won’t actually happen. I see encouraging signs that the tide is turning … The referendum was democratic, but has resulted in a situation in which everyone loses. Doubt is creeping in. It would be good if a political leader in the U.K. would stand who’s courageous enough to seize this momentum and say: let’s submit the final Brexit deal again to the people.” |
Malta’s priorities | Prime minister Joseph Muscat called a snap election for 3 June 2017 following allegations his wife owns an offshore firm in Panama. An inquiry has been launched to find evidence there is a link between Egrant Inc, a firm named in last year’s Panama Papers, and Muscat’s wife Michelle. He has said he will step down if such a link is discovered.
The government plans to invest in infrastructure, introduce tax cuts and increase pensions for the working and middle class. |