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Hay & Menon: European Politics

Malta

Malta signed an Association Agreement with the EC on 5 December 1970. It did not submit it's formal application for membership until July 1990. This application was subsequently withdrawn when the Eurosceptical Labour Party came to office in 1996, and was resubmitted once the Nationalist Party returned to office in 1998. The strength of Eurosceptic sentiment within the Labour Party was shared by the electorate. This was reflected in the results of the referendum on EU accession on 8 March 2003, when only 53.6% of voters supported entry to the EU, with a turnout of 91%. The Labour Party claimed that as less than 50% of registered voters had supported EU membership, the referendum result was insufficient to provide a mandate for Malta's membership of the EU. However, a subsequent general election victory by the Nationalist Party confirmed the 'yes' of the referendum and Malta proceeded to join the EU on 1 May 2004.