Malta Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Republic of Malta.

[Area] The area is 316 square kilometers. It is mainly composed of 5 islands, with Malta being the largest with an area of 245.73 square kilometers; The second largest island is Gozo Island, with an area of 67.08 square kilometers.

Population: 563000 (2023). It is mainly Maltese, accounting for about 74.66% of the total population, and the rest are Arabs, Italians, Britons, etc. The official languages are Maltese and English. Catholicism is the state religion, while the rest mainly follow Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Valletta, the capital, covers an area of 0.8 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 7000.

【 Head of State 】 President Myriam Spiteri Debono, inaugurated on April 4, 2024, for a term of 5 years.

Independence Day: September 21st.

【 Overview 】 Located in the central Mediterranean, this island nation is known as the 'heart of the Mediterranean'. The coastline is over 190 kilometers long, with many natural harbors. It belongs to the subtropical Mediterranean climate, with an average annual temperature of 19.7 ℃, a maximum temperature of 40 ℃, and a minimum temperature of 5 ℃. The average annual precipitation is 560 millimeters.

Since 5000 BC, human activities have appeared on the island. From the 10th to the 8th century BC, Phoenicians settled here. From 218 BC onwards, it was under the rule of the Romans. Since the 9th century, it has been successively occupied by Arabs and Normans. In 1530, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem moved here from Rhodes. In 1798, the French army expelled the Knights. It was occupied by Britain in 1800 and became a colony in 1814, becoming an important naval base for Britain. After World War II, Britain allowed Malaysia to establish an internal autonomous government in 1947, but resumed direct rule in January 1959. On September 21, 1964, Malaysia officially declared independence and retained its membership in the Commonwealth. In 1966, Ma Juxing held his first general election after independence, and the Kuomintang won and came to power. From 1971 to 1987, the Labour Party held power continuously. Afterwards, the Kuomintang and the Labour Party took turns in power for a long time. On March 31, 1979, Britain withdrew from its military base in Malaysia.

On September 21, 1964, an independent constitution was promulgated, implementing a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of England as the head of state. On December 13, 1974, through a constitutional amendment, it became a republic with the President as the head of state, but remained within the Commonwealth.

The unicameral system, known as the House of Representatives, is elected by universal suffrage for a term of 5 years and serves as the legislative body. The current parliament was elected in March 2022 and currently has a total of 79 seats, including 43 seats for the Labour Party (ruling party), 35 seats for the Kuomintang (opposition party), and 1 independent member of parliament. Speaker An ġ lu Farrugia.

The government held a general election in March 2022, and Prime Minister Abela led the Labour Party to be re elected with 55.1% of the vote. At present, other members of the cabinet include Ian Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, and Trade; Silvio Schembri, Minister for Economy, Enterprise, and Strategic Engineering; Chris Bonett, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure, and Public Affairs; Miriam Dali, Minister for Environment, Energy, and Port Revitalization; Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Minister for Land and Election Planning Implementation; Byron Camilleri, Minister for Interior, Security, Reform, and Equality; and Owen Bonnic, Minister for National Heritage, Arts, and Local Government. i) Clyde Caruana, Minister of Finance and Employment Caruana, Minister of Education, Sports, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima, Minister of Gozo Affairs and Planning Clint Camilleri, Minister of Social Policy and Children's Rights Michael Falzon, Minister of Inclusion and Voluntary Organizations Julia Farrugia Portelli, Minister of Justice and Construction Industry Reform Jonathan Attard, Minister of Tourism and Public Cleanliness Clayton Bartolo, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, Minister of Social Security Housing Rod Gardes Eric Galdes, Minister of Health and Aging, Jo Etienne Abela Abela and others.

There are a total of 68 local municipal committees in the country, including 54 on Malta Island and 14 on Gozo Island.

The High Court is the highest judicial institution, composed of one Chief Justice and 21 Justices, appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and retired at the age of 65. Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti took office in 2020. Prosecutor General Victoria Buttigieg took office in 2020.

[Political Party]

(1) Labour Party (Partit Laburista): ruling party, center left, member of the European Socialist Party. Established in 1921, the early party members were mostly from the working class. Internally advocating for equal rights, paying attention to vulnerable groups, establishing a welfare society, developing an independent economy, involving trade unions in enterprise management, and selling some shares of state-owned enterprises. Advocating neutrality and non alignment, not participating in any military groups, and valuing relations with Mediterranean countries. Current party leader Robert Abela was elected in January 2020.

(2) Kuomintang (Partit Nazzjonalista): The main opposition party, center right, and member of the European People's Party. Established in 1880, the early party members were mainly industrial and commercial workers, faculty, lawyers, and farmers. Internally, it advocates building a democratic country that adheres to Catholicism, has European traditions and national spirit, freedom and justice, protects domestic traditions and lifestyles, advocates environmental protection, opposes excessive development, and the introduction of foreign immigrants and laborers. In recent years, its political stance has become more centrist. Externally, we advocate strengthening cooperation with European and Mediterranean countries. The current party leader Bernard Grech was elected in October 2020 and re elected in May 2022.

[Important Person] Miriam Spiteri de Bono: President. Born in October 1952, graduated from the University of Malta. She served as the Speaker from 1996 to 1998 and is the only female Speaker in Malaysia. President in April 2024.

Robert Abela: Prime Minister, leader of the Labour Party. Born in December 1977, he holds a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Malta and is the son of George Abela, the 8th President of Malta (who served from 2009 to 2014). I have worked as a lawyer for a long time. Elected as a member of parliament for the first time in 2017 and served as legal advisor to then Prime Minister Muscat. Appointed as Prime Minister in January 2020.

【 Economy 】 Ma has scarce natural resources, a shortage of technical personnel, a weak industrial foundation, a basic dependence on imports for food, and a long-term deficit in foreign trade. The tourism industry is a traditional pillar industry and the main source of foreign exchange. The shipbuilding and repair industries are well-developed. After joining the European Union in 2004, the government received a large amount of aid and launched a series of reforms to adjust the economic structure, continuously improving the macroeconomic situation. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to reach approximately 20.958 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%, with a per capita GDP of approximately 38700 US dollars. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to reach approximately 20.958 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. The per capita GDP is expected to be around 38700 US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11%.

Except for limestone used in construction, there are no mineral resources, and oil and natural gas are completely dependent on imports. Solar and wind energy resources are abundant, but their development is insufficient, and the utilization rate of renewable energy is low. Freshwater resources are scarce, and more than half of domestic water relies on seawater desalination.

In recent years, the output value of the manufacturing industry has been continuously declining, and the proportion of GDP 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 include electronics, chemicals, mechanical equipment, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, etc.

Due to severe water shortage, agriculture in Malta is limited, with a arable land area of approximately 9000 hectares. The output value of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries accounts for less than 1% of the overall economic output value of Malaysia, and there are about 1600 full-time agricultural workers (as of October 2020). Most of the food, milk, vegetable oil, fruits, etc. rely on imports.

The tourism industry is the backbone of the economy and the main source of foreign exchange. In 2020, European countries introduced travel restrictions in the context of the COVID-19, and the number of tourists to Malaysia dropped sharply to about 660000, down 76.1% year on year. In the first half of 2021, there were about 140000 passengers traveling to Malaysia, a year-on-year decrease of 62.3%. In July 2022, the Malaysian government announced the complete lifting of epidemic prevention and control restrictions on inbound travelers, receiving a total of 2.3 million passengers throughout the year, returning to 83% of the 2019 level. The UK, Italy, Germany, France, Poland and other countries are the main source countries for tourists to Malaysia. According to statistics from the Malaysian side, there will be 2.976 million tourists visiting Malaysia in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 30.1%.

There are no railways or inland waterways within the country, and transportation outside the island mainly relies on air and sea transportation. Luqa International Airport is the only airport with a maximum throughput of over 7 million passengers and multiple direct flights to major cities in Europe, America, North Africa, and other regions. The shipping industry is well-developed, and the free port in the southern part of Malta is the third largest transshipment port along the Mediterranean coast, with cargo exchanges with 110 ports around the world. The largest ship registration country in Europe and the sixth largest in the world. There are approximately 2200 kilometers of national highways without a high-speed transportation system. As of the end of December 2023, there are approximately 439000 vehicles in China, with a per capita vehicle ownership rate ranking among the highest in the world.

After joining the European Union, Malaysia's overall public finance situation has been good, achieving positive results in GDP growth, reducing structural deficits, and public debt. In 2023, the fiscal revenue was 6.413 billion euros, the expenditure was 7.221 billion euros, and the fiscal deficit was 808 million euros, a year-on-year decrease of 8.7%. The central government debt in 2023 is approximately 9.74 billion euros.

The EU has always maintained its position as Malaysia's largest trading partner in foreign trade. The main imports are mineral fuels, non electronic machinery, transportation vehicles, food, etc. The main exports are electronic machinery, seafood, pharmaceutical products, etc. The main import and export countries are Italy, the United Kingdom, etc. According to statistics from the Malaysian side, as of the end of 2023, Malaysia's imports amounted to 8.578 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 9.82%; The export value was 4.516 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 3.32%.

Implement a system of free education, free healthcare, and retirement insurance for the people's livelihood. The average life expectancy for males is 79.6 years, while for females it is 83.3 years. The overall average life expectancy is 81.5 years, ranking 20th in the world.

The total number of armed forces is about 2000. Brigadier General Clinton J. O'Neill, the Commander of the Armed Forces, took office in June 2022. According to the bilateral defense agreement signed with Italy in 1980, Italy is responsible for providing security guarantees for Malaysia. The Ma police force has about 2400 people and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior.

There are about 340 schools of various types, with approximately 84000 students and nearly 10000 teachers. Public schools offer free education, while there are also various private and church schools. The University of Malta is the only university in Malta, and other higher education institutions include the Institute of Tourism Studies and the Malta College of Arts, Science&Technology.

There are a total of 4 major daily newspapers, 2 in Maltese and 2 in English. The largest newspapers are The Times of Malta and The Malta Independent, as well as various weekly magazines. Malta Television (TVM) is a national television station that began broadcasting television programs in 1962 and is operated by the Government Public Broadcasting Service Limited. The Kuomintang and the Labour Party have respectively established their own television stations, Net TV and One TV.

[External Relations] Member states of the Commonwealth joined the European Union in May 2004, the Schengen Area in December 2007, and officially adopted the euro in January 2008. Adhere to a neutral policy and maintain friendly relations with the European continent and Mediterranean coastal countries. Promote and actively participate in the European Mediterranean cooperation processes such as the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and the Mediterranean Union, attach importance to and actively develop relations with countries outside the United States, Russia, China, Australia, India, South Africa, and emerging economies.

Emphasize the role of multilateral international organizations such as the United Nations. Serving as a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2023-2024 term. I support United Nations reform and the expansion of the Security Council, but I advocate for maintaining consensus through consultation. Actively participate in international counter-terrorism cooperation. Pay attention to the issue of climate change, support taking action on emissions reduction as soon as possible within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and call for attention to the vulnerability of small island countries to the negative impacts of climate change. We highly pay attention to the increasingly serious problem of illegal immigration in the Mediterranean in recent years, advocate the establishment of a mandatory "responsibility sharing" system within the European Union, and advocate for increased development cooperation with refugee source and transit countries to solve the problem from the source.