About Malta

The Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta 'Malta, English: Republic of Malta), referred to as Malta, is a miniature country in the southern European Republic. It is an island country located in the center of the Mediterranean. "The official languages are Maltese and English, and the capital is Valletta. The residents mostly believe in Catholicism, and a few believe in Protestant and Orthodox.

During the time of Carthage and the Roman Republic, it prospered because of the Mediterranean trade, and the power of the post-Arab empire once dominated here. The Knights of Malta, a special political entity now headquartered in Rome, was named because it had occupied Malta for centuries. The Phoenicians settled here from the 10th to the 8th century BC. In 1523, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem emigrated from Rhodes and occupied by France in 1798. It became a British colony in 1814, declared independence in September 1964, is now a member of the Commonwealth, and established the Republic of Malta in 1974. Joined the EU in 2004.

Malta is a highly developed capitalist country. Its economy is dominated by services and finance, and tourism is Malta's main source of foreign exchange. Malta has trade relations with more than 100 countries and regions, and the EU is Malta's most important trading partner. In addition, Malta's social security system is relatively complete, with free education, free medical care and retirement insurance.

Government

Malta has a republic system and a neutral policy. In September 1998, the Malta KMT came to power and made major adjustments to Malta's internal and external policies, and implemented a series of reform measures in the areas of finance, finance, taxation, justice, education and medical care. The application for re-entry to the EU was resumed, the negotiations for re-entry into the Union were reopened and significant progress was made. At the end of 2002, negotiations with the EU on Malta's accession to the EU were concluded. In March 2003, a referendum was held, and 53% of the people supported joining the EU. Externally signed the Treaty of Accession with the European Union on April 16. Malaysia joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. In April 2003, the Kuomintang reigned in power. We will further strengthen our relations with the countries on both the north and south sides of the Mediterranean Sea and continue to play a bridge role in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. [2] After joining the European Union on May 1, 2004, Malaysia accelerated its integration into the European Union. Internally, Malaysia made major adjustments to Malaysia's economic and social policies, implemented a series of reform measures in the areas of finance, finance, taxation, justice, education and medical care, and the economy began to improve. Joined the Schengen area in December 2007, and officially launched the euro in January 2008. Externally, strengthen friendly relations with EU members, consolidate cooperation with countries on the north and south sides of the Mediterranean, promote cooperation between the EU and the Arab League, support the establishment of the Mediterranean Union, and continue to develop with the United States, Russia, China, India, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey Relations between foreign countries and emerging powers. For the first time in the first half of 2017, he presided over the presidency of the European Union.

Constitution

The independent constitution promulgated on September 21, 1964 stipulates that Malta is a constitutional monarchy and the Queen of England is the head of state of Malta. On December 13, 1974, the Constitution was amended, and Ma became a republic, but remained in the Commonwealth. The President is the head of state and is nominated by the Prime Minister and voted in parliament for a term of five years.

Parliament

The one-chamber system, called the House of Representatives, is elected by universal suffrage and serves a five-year term as the legislature. The current parliament was elected in June 2017 and has a total of 67 seats, of which 37 are the Labour Party (the ruling party), 28 seats are the KMT (opposition party), and 2 seats are the Democratic Choice Party. Speaker Angelo Farrugia (non-partisan, non-member), inaugurated in April 2013 and re-elected in June 2017. 

Government

In June 2017, Joseph Muscat was re-elected as Prime Minister. Cabinet members include Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Chris Fearne, Minister of Economy, Investment and Small Business Christian Cardona, Minister of Education and Employment Ivrist Bartolo (Evarist Bartolo), Minister of Energy and Water Joe Mizzi, Minister of Europe and Fair Affairs Helena Dalli (female), Minister of Finance Edward Sciluna, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, Minister of Home Affairs and National Security Michael Farrugia, Minister of Justice, Culture and Local Government Owen Bonnici, Environment, Sustainable Development And Climate Change Minister Jose Herrara, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Large Projects Ian Borg, Gozo Minister Justine Caruana (female), Family, Children's Rights and Social Solidarity Michael Falzon, Financial Services , Silvio Schembri, Secretary of State for Digital Economy and Innovation, Julia Farrugia Portelli (Female), Secretary of State for Reform, Citizenship and Simplification, Youth, Sports And Clifton Grima, Secretary of State for Volunteer Organizations, Aaron Farrugia, Secretary of State for EU Funding and Social Dialogue, and Silvio, Secretary of State for Local Government and Community Affairs Silvio Parnis, Deo Debattista, Secretary of State for Consumer Protection and the European Cultural Capital of Valletta 2018, Clint Camilleri, Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights (Clint Carmilleri), Chris Agius, Secretary of State for Planning and Real Estate Market Affairs, Roderick Galdes, Secretary of State for Social Affairs, and Tony A. Secretary of State for Disabled and Older Persons Anthony Agius Decelis and others.

Judicial

The High Court is the highest judicial body, consisting of a Chief Justice and 16 Justices, appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and serving until retirement at 65. The current Chief Justice is Joseph Azzopardi, who took office in 2018. Attorney General Dr. Peter Grech, inaugurated in 2010.

（1）Political party

(1) Partit Laburista (PL): The ruling party. Founded in 1921, the majority of party members are the working class. Internally, it advocates "citizens first", equal power, gradually weakening religious forces, establishing an independent economy, unions participating in enterprise management, and selling part of state-owned enterprise shares. It advocates neutrality and non-alignment with foreign countries, does not participate in any military bloc, and opposes the entry of Malaysia into the European Union. However, after joining the Union, it expressed respect for the choice of the people of Maldives and attached importance to relations with Mediterranean countries. The current leader, Joseph Muscat, took office in June 2008.

（2）National Party (Partit Nazzjonalista, PN): The main opposition party. Founded in 1880, party members are mainly industrial and commercial workers, faculty, lawyers, and farmers. Internally, he advocates building Ma into a Catholic country with European traditions and national spirit, freedom and justice. Externally, it is suggested to strengthen ties and cooperation with European and Mediterranean countries. The current leader, Adrian Delia, was elected in September 2017.

（3）Alternattiva Demokratika (AD), also known as "The Green Party": Founded in 1989, is a member of the European Green Party and has no seat in the Malaysian Parliament, focusing on environmental and social issues. In the 2013 election, the party's approval rate was less than 2%. In May 2014, election performance in the European Parliament was mediocre. The current chairman, Arnold Cassola, took office in June 2013. 

Economic

Malaysia has scarce natural resources, a shortage of technical staff, a weak industrial base, a basic dependence on food imports, and a long-term deficit in foreign trade. Tourism, shipbuilding and ship repair are its traditional industries, of which tourism is an important source of foreign exchange for Malaysia. Since joining the European Union in 2004, the government has continuously vigorously adjusted the economic structure and introduced a series of reform measures, and the macro economy has continued to improve. In addition, the EU's large sum of aid has injected vitality into the Malaysian economy, achieving continuous economic growth, and successfully joined the euro zone in early 2008. Thanks to a strict financial management system and a conservative and prudent credit investment tradition, coupled with few foreign companies listing in Malaysia, the Malaysian financial system and stock market have not been directly impacted by the 2008 international financial crisis. However, due to the downturn in overseas markets, the decline in imports, exports and domestic demand, Malaysia's economic growth began to slow down and fell into recession at the end of 2008, when the economic growth rate was only 1.6%. The decline continued in 2009, with GDP shrinking by 2.1%. In order to alleviate the impact of the crisis, the government invested about 90 million euros in 2010 to formulate an economic stimulus plan, and adopted a series of measures such as increasing the deposit reserve ratio, implementing interest subsidies for tourism loan loans, and tailoring financial assistance for enterprises to stabilize Markets, secure employment, attract investment and stimulate the economy. Malaysia's economy has begun to recover, and tourism and emerging financial services have resumed growth. Malaysia's GDP in 2017 was approximately 9.6 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%. In 2018, Malaysia's GDP is expected to grow by 5.6% and maintain a fiscal surplus for three consecutive years; the unemployment rate is 3.9%, the lowest in the EU. The Malaysian government is vigorously developing emerging industries such as digital finance and artificial intelligence, and is focusing on creating a "digital economic upland." 

Currency

After joining the Eurozone in 2008, Malta's currency is the Euro. The currency used in Malta before was the Maltese Lira (LM). The Malta Lira was once the second most valuable currency in the world.

Manufacturing

Like other developed countries, the output value of the manufacturing industry has been declining in recent years, and currently only accounts for about 8% of GDP, which is lower than the overall level of western countries; the proportion of employees in the total labor force is less than 20%. The main products are electronics, chemicals, machinery and equipment, medicine, food and beverage. 

Technology

The Malta government has signed a cooperation agreement with the European Space Agency, hoping to get more in-depth cooperation on the ESA project.

Agriculture

Horses are barren and have limited arable land (11,453 hectares), coupled with severe water shortages, limiting agricultural development. In 2017, the output value of agriculture and fishery accounted for 0.2% of GDP, and the full-time agricultural population was less than 2,000. Many agricultural populations switched to the service industry, causing part-time agricultural populations to no longer use agricultural income as the main source of income. The agricultural industry mainly includes feed, vegetables, fruits, flowers, potatoes, livestock, and livestock by-products. Most grain, milk, vegetable oil, fruits, etc. are imported.

Finance

In recent years, Malaysia's public finances are generally in good shape and have achieved positive results in terms of GDP growth, reduction of structural deficits and public debt. Affected by the international financial and economic crisis, Malaysia's fiscal situation has reversed since 2008. In 2009, the government fiscal deficit reached 285 million euros, accounting for 5.1% of GDP; government debt exceeded 3.9 billion euros, accounting for 67.6% of GDP. The national fiscal surplus of 31.5 million euros in 2017 is at its best in 35 years. Government debt fell to 54.93% and is expected to fall below 50% in 2018. 

Tourism industry

Tourism is the backbone of Malaysia's economy and the main source of foreign exchange, but it also faces structural issues such as price and quality.

Due to the government's introduction of some incentives in 2006, some low-cost airlines began to operate in Malaysia, and the tourism industry achieved significant growth in 2007. However, affected by the international financial and economic crisis, since the fourth quarter of 2008, the tourism industry in Malaysia has fallen sharply, and the number of tourists visiting Malaysia in 2009 decreased by 8.4%. There was a pick-up in 2010, with 1.33 million tourists visiting Malaysia, a year-on-year increase of 13%. In 2017, the number of tourists to Malaysia was approximately 1.98 million. European Union countries such as Britain, Italy, Germany, and France are the main source countries of tourists to Malaysia. 

Foreign trade

Malaysia has a long-term foreign trade deficit. The EU has always maintained Malaysia's largest trading partner status, accounting for nearly three-fourths of Malaysia's foreign trade, of which Britain, France and Italy are the main trading targets of Malaysia. It mainly imports daily consumer goods, machinery, food, raw materials, and mainly exports electronics, clothing, medicine, and general machinery products. The total value of Malaysia's imports and exports in 2017 was 9.56 billion euros, of which 6.30 billion euros were imported, 3.56 billion euros were exported, and the trade deficit was 2.47 billion euros.

Citizens' lives

Implement free education, free medical care and retirement insurance systems. The average life expectancy of men is 79.8 years, and that of women is 84.3 years (2016). In 2014, the Internet household registration rate reached 80.7%, and the adult penetration rate reached 73.2%. In 2015, the statutory minimum wage was 8,646 euros per year, which is at an intermediate level among EU countries.

 

Culture

Language

Maltese and English are the official languages.

English is the main official language of Malta, and all official language, documents and teaching are in English.

The Maltese language belongs to the Semitic family of the Afro-Asian family. The population is over 300,000 (about 1 million people in Malta worldwide). There are also varying numbers of Maltese immigrants in Australia and North America.

Italian is also very popular in Malta, and many supermarket and retail store employees speak Maltese, English and Italian. Walking on the street often sees Italian-speaking tourists interacting with locals.

Religion

Catholicism is the state religion of Malta, with 98% of its adherents, and a few believe in Protestant and Orthodox Christianity.

Custom

Maltese dress neatly and decently on social occasions; when meeting with guests, shake hands with the introduced guests one by one and report their names; when meeting with friends and family, they are used to giving.

The Maltese diet is dominated by Western food.

Young people in Malta basically live together with their parents before marriage and live separately after marriage, but the relatives are closer.

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