Assessing Malta's bid to join the European Union : the case in favour

Abstract

Six months after the end of the 1996 EU Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) on the institutions, the European Union has bound itself to open accession negotiations with Cyprus and Malta. This important milestone in the Mediterranean island states' EU membership bid came about as a result of very strong diplomatic pressure by Greece which blocked progress on the EU-Turkey Customs Union agreement until the rest of the member states had agreed on the setting of a definite date for the start of negotiations with Cyprus and with Malta as well. Meanwhile at the Essen European Council (9 and 10 December, 1994), European leaders invited Council to examine new reports to be presented by the Commission on Cyprus and Malta in early 1995. These reports deal largely with the way in which the applicant countries are coping with the economic and legal reform programmes, begun with a view to preparing them for eventual membership and initiated following the publication of their respective "avis" by the Commission of the European Communities.