This book examines the Europeanisation of party politics in Malta. It evaluates the influence of Europeanisation on the political system, which is based on two party-system, polarisation, and clientelism. Malta is the smallest European Union (EU) member state, which joined the EU in 2004. The road toward membership was fraught with contentious and emotionally charged debates. This book explores the relationship between Maltese political parties and the EU, the politicisation and framing of the European Union by political parties, and the impact of the European Union on Malta’s political system.
The book further discusses more contentious recent events which made headlines at the EU level, including the Panama Papers scandals, the Individual Investment Programme, and the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The book will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of political science and international relations interested in a better understanding of electoral studies, Europeanisation, European integration, as well as the Maltese political system, and party politics.
Author(s): Jean Claude Cachia
Series: Springer Series in Electoral Politics
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 418
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Europeanisation and Party Politics in Malta: An Introduction
1.1 Europeanisation and Malta´s Identity
1.2 Europeanisation and Malta´s Culture
1.3 Europeanisation and the Party Leaders
1.4 The Relationship Between Malta and the European Community
1.5 Malta and the Four Stages of Europeanisation
1.6 Book Structure
Bibliography
Chapter 2: Europeanisation and Party Politics: A Review
2.1 Conceptualising Europeanisation
2.2 Functions and Mechanisms of Europeanisation
2.3 Europeanisation and Domestic Politics
2.4 Europeanisation and Political Parties
2.5 The Direct and Indirect Impact of Europeanisation on Political Parties
2.6 The Conditionality Clause
2.7 Europeanisation and Political Conditionality
2.8 National Political Parties and European Party Groups
2.9 Political Parties and Their EU Approach
2.10 Europeanisation and Euroscepticism
2.11 Politicisation of the EU
2.11.1 Politicisation and Framing
2.12 Political Parties Role in the European Elections
2.13 Europeanisation and Party Politics
Bibliography
Chapter 3: The Two Sides of Maltese Politics
3.1 The Road Towards the Two-Party System
3.2 Ideologies and the European Union
3.3 Political Participation, Partisanship, and Polarisation
3.4 The Single Transferable Vote
3.5 Civil Society and Malta´s Political System
3.6 Political Parties and Media Pluralism
3.7 Party Financing
3.8 Trust in the Main Political Parties and Party Leaders
3.9 Malta and Its Two Sides of Politics
Bibliography
Chapter 4: Europeanisation and Membership in the European Union
4.1 Ideologies, Neutrality and European Membership
4.2 The EU Influence and Malta: The 1987 Election
4.3 The Second Stage of Europeanisation and the 1992 National Election
4.4 Reforms and EU Membership
4.5 Malta´s Tax System and the Labour Party
4.6 The 2003 EU Referendum
4.7 Malta and the European Union: The 2003 National Election
4.8 Malta´s Political Parties and EU Membership
Bibliography
Chapter 5: Membership in the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities
5.1 Second Order Elections and the First European Parliament Election in Malta
5.2 Personalisation of Politics and EU Affairs
5.3 The Europeanisation of the Labour Party
5.4 Divorce and the European Union
5.5 The 2013 National Election and the Rise of the Labour Party
5.6 Europeanisation and EU Membership
Bibliography
Chapter 6: Europeanisation and European Values
6.1 European Values and the Muscat Administration
6.2 A Decade of Membership and the 2014 European Elections
6.3 Minority Rights and the 2015 Hunting Referendum
6.4 Malta´s 2017 EU Presidency of the Council of the EU
6.4.1 EU Presidency and Irregular Migration
6.4.2 The Maltese Presidency and the Other Priorities
6.5 The Panama Papers and the 2017 National Election
6.5.1 The 2017 National Election
6.6 European Values and Malta´s Political System
Bibliography
Chapter 7: Europeanisation and the Rule of Law
7.1 European Values and the Assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia
7.1.1 The Assassination of Daphne and the European Dimension
7.2 The Political Divisions and Valletta 2018
7.3 The Publication of the Inquiry on Egrant and the Pilatus Bank
7.4 The 2019 European Elections
7.5 The Murder of Lassana Cisse
7.6 The Daphne Caruana Galizia Investigation, the 2019 Protests, and the Resignation of Muscat
7.7 The Role of MEPs in Malta´s Political System and the Election of Roberta Metsola as President of the European Parliament
7.8 The 2022 National Elections in Malta and the Covid-19 Pandemic
7.9 The European Union and Malta´s Political System
Bibliography
Chapter 8: Europeanisation and Party Politics in Malta: A Reflection
8.1 Malta and Membership in the European Union
Bibliography
Name Index
Subject Index
