| CODE | EST2234 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Malta in the European Union | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit has four, interrelated components, the first being a generic look at regional politics and small states within the Mediterranean as well as the EU. The second component then analyses the historical dynamics of Malta-EU relations, including the 1970 Association Agreement. The third component covers Malta’s application and the negotiation of the Accession Treaty while the final component deals with Malta’s experience of EU membership both in terms of the impact of the EU on domestic institutions and policy as well as Malta’s role and status in EU politics. Running concurrent with the taught lectures will be presentations by the students which will further analyse the impact of EU membership on specific areas of Maltese government and policy. The study-unit will also include a series of guest speakers who will address the students on specific aspects of Malta's EU experience. Study-unit Aims: The central aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Maltese experience of the EU, from application to membership. Additionally, the study-unit also aims to better place the question of EU membership within the context of Maltese, domestic political discourse, not just in terms of the political parties but, more importantly, EU membership as a key dynamic in Maltese political development. Related to this, the study-unit also aims to foster an appreciation of the regional dynamics associated with the EU and its relations with Mediterranean states as well as the particular experience of small states within the Union. Commensurate with this, a related aim is to foster an appreciation of the domestic change process created through membership of the EU, namely Europeanization, both as a generic process as well as Malta's particular experience of Europeanization. An additional aim is to provide a clear understanding of Malta's influence in the EU decision-making process by focusing on Malta's role in the EU institutions. A final aim is to better gauge the wider changes in Maltese society and the possibility of the EU playing a role in the cause and nature of those changes. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Better analyze and discuss Malta-EU relations; - Better analyze Malta's Mediterranean context as well as the ramification of its geographical position on its post-war relations with the UK, Italy, Libya and, ultimately, the EU; - Better analyze the issue of small states within the EU and the particular challenges they face; - Better calculate the consequences of EU membership on its member states; - Better explain the multifaceted nature of political decision making and change as opposed to adopting simplistic interpretations of very complex political dynamics. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyze and judge the effectiveness of EU policies within the domestic context; - Encourage discussion and group work to develop skills in establishing and articulating group positions on various issues; - Improve their presentation skills which have been felt lacking due to the limited experience students have in presentations as part of their assessment by understanding the complexities involved in cause and effect type dynamics in politics it is hoped that this will be brought through into their dissertation where more mature analysis is being sought. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Harwood, Mark. (2014). Malta and the European Union. UK, Ashgate. - Xuereb, Peter (ed.), Malta in the European Union, Five Years On Looking to the Future, EDRC, University of Malta, 2007. - Pace Roderick, Microstate Security in the Global System: EU-Malta Relations, Midsea books Ltd., 2001, 580 pages, ISBN 99909-93-87-4. Supplementary Readings: - Julia Neumeyer, Malta and the European Union: A small island state and its way into a powerful community, Ibidem Verlag Jessica Haunschild Christian Schoen Publishers, 2007. - The agreements concluded between the EC and Malta can be consulted in the EC Treaty Series at the EDC. - White Paper: Proposed Association of Malta with the European Economic Community, 19th October, 1970. - Commission’s Opinion on Malta’s Application for Membership, Com (93) 312 final, Brussels, June 30th, 1993. - Aide Memoire, DOI Press Release, 23rd November, 1996. - Communication from the Commission to the Council on future relations between the European Union and Malta, SEC (1998) 154 final, 05.02.1998. - EC-Malta Association Council of 28th April, 1998 final communiqué. - Commission Report Updating the Commission’s Opinion on Malta’s Application for Membership, Com (1999) 69 final, Brussels, February 17th, 1999. - Euro-Parliament Report PE 230.174/fin. [A4-0165/99] of March 30th, 1999. - Commission reports on progress towards membership available on the Commission's website (Europa), DG Enlargement. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Andre Paul Debattista |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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