Throughout its rich history, Malta was ruled by historical civilisations such as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Normans. In 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor granted the archipelago to a Catholic military order known as the Knights of Malta, before Malta was captured by Napoleonic France in 1798 and became a British Crown colony in 1814. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 following 150 years of British rule. Since the emergence of the Maltese two-party system in the 1970s, the country has been characterized by high political polarization and a strong partisan mentality. This is also perpetuated by the prevalence of clientelism and challenges related to impunity for political corruption. The 2017 assassination of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who investigated high-level corruption cases, threw this culture of impunity into sharp relief, and a public inquiry was called only after immense pressure from the public, civil society and the international community. Attempts to tackle corruption have included constitutional reforms, and 2023 legislative amendments introducing an anti-deadlock mechanism for the appointment of the Standards Commissioner, responsible for investigating ethical complaints against MPs.

The country is also navigating its evolving and more diverse Maltese identity since joining the EU in 2004. The EU membership introduced a shift from a strong insular, traditional and national identity to a more regional, Mediterranean and European one, and Malta is home to sizeable British and Italian communities. As Malta’s foreign-born population grows, migration policy continues to be a political concern. Human rights actors have shared concerns about the arbitrary detention of migrants and criticism about the insufficient response to rescue migrants at sea.

Malta has made steady progress on Gender Equality (from mid to high range) over the past decade, reflecting broad-based improvements ranging from women’s representation in Parliament to women’s labour force participation and representation in managerial positions. However, gender disparities persist and are most pronounced in wages, as well as health and reproductive autonomy. Despite amendments in 2023 to allow abortions in cases where the mother’s life is at stake, abortion law remains highly strict, and the issue of abortion rights has been highly divisive due to the significant role of the Catholic Church. Additionally, the gender corrective mechanism passed in 2021 and used during the 2022 elections has been criticized for putting party interests before women’s participation. Malta legalized same-sex marriage in 2017. The country introduced legal gender recognition procedures based on self-declaration in 2015, and is considering a legislative proposal to recognize non-binary people on official documents.

Looking ahead, it will be important to watch Freedom of the Press, particularly in view of the weak implementation of recommendations stemming from a 2021 public inquiry into the circumstances of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, proposed anti-SLAPP legislation, and recent signs that media watchdogs are becoming more assertive in calling attention to the lack of impartiality in public broadcasting. It will also be critical to watch Absence of Corruption, particularly the response of authorities to allegations of high-level corruption in connection to the recent hospital privatisation scandal. Finally, it will be important to observe migration policy and monitor the implementation of Malta’s first anti-human trafficking strategy for impacts on Social Group Equality.

Last updated: August 2024