Notes on public corporations in Malta

Abstract

The Maltese system of government comprises not only Ministries and departments of government as well as local councils. There is another aspect to central government which is known as the public corporation. Thus, public corporations have to be distinguished from government departments on the one hand and local councils on the other. Like government departments, public corporations are public entities and like local councils they are established by law. However, unlike government departments, they possess an element of independence from ministerial control and unlike local councils they operate on a national basis and are unelected. Public corporations are aptly referred to in the legal literature as quangos, that is, quasi-autonomous national governmental organisations. They are also called “statutory authorities”. [excerpt]