Malta: No Bridge is "A Bridge Too Far" Building Bridges Paper Series
Malta as an isolated country saw relations with the EU as a bridge building effort with the peoples of the European Continent, which would also secure supplies, open markets, help obtain energy and strengthen security.
EU projects that strengthen existing ties or create new ones and which bring visible change to people’s lives tend to have a greater effect on the way the Maltese perceive the European project than discussions about abstract treaty reforms and the shape of a future Europe.
Despite having been mostly spared by the economic crisis, the Maltese are worried about the possibility of a spill-over effect. Hence, they expect the EU to do more to restart the economic motor, such as the better use of EU budgetary resources and allowing governments more flexibility in pursuing reforms.
This publication is part of the "Building Bridges Paper Series". For more information about this project, click here.