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Malta
as an i-Gaming hub is world class, by Greg Tingle
- February 2011
Malta
is one of the world's foremost international hubs
that regulate remote gaming effectively and responsibly,
perhaps only second to Gibraltar. The beautiful island
has become a classic example of how i-Gaming should
and can be regulated. Its professional approach to
remote gaming regulation is well known, hence the
country has become a jurisdiction of choice for the
industry. The island is a microcosm of Europe and
as such is place to test concepts and the like, before
pushing them to the masses. This approach works well
for the ICT sector.
Malta
currently has in excess of 300 active licensees.
The
i-Gaming industry is encouraged by government initiative
and state-of-the-art telecoms infrastructure, which
the island is maintains its status as one of the most
progressive environments in the world for IT, remote
gaming and e-Business activities. Investment in ICT
is especially strong.
For
a real word example of an ICT development working
well look up SmartCity. Born from Dubai Internet City,
Tecom Investments is investing US$300 million in an
ICT hub. This reaffirms the island’s initiative
to become the European outpost for global ICT or i-Gaming
companies that want to establish a presence in Europe.
This project compliments with Malta’s aspirations
in the ITC sector given that Microsoft, Cisco and
Oracle have all established a significant presence
on the island.
They
aim to soon establish research and development testing
ground for ICT related companies. Another major advantage
of choosing Malta is secure and reliable links to
the Internet for passing huge packets of data and
traffic. Vodafone Malta took a strategic decision
in 2003 to have its own submarine data cable between
Malta and Sicily. Commissioned in 2004, this doubled
the number of international data links connecting
Malta to the rest of the world. Data traffic at the
start of i-Gaming community in 2001 was rather small
- a few tens of megabits - but has surged since then.
3 operators are competing to provide quality and reliable
bandwidth via a submarine cable to the Italian mainland.
In terms of technology, the fibre-optic submarine
data cable remains an important link between Malta
and the rest of the world, an extremely sensitive
link without which the i-gaming industry would not
exist in Malta. But another important ingredient for
the island’s success is regulation. The industry
is strictly regulated by an efficient team at the
Malta Lotteries and Gaming headed by Rueben Portanier,
a veteran in the ICT and i-Gaming sector. The regulation
is fair but strictly enforced to ensure total protection
to players while offering a competitive gaming and
corporate tax structure.
2009
Allocation of licensees...
But
the industry is facing challenges in cross-border
issues particularly as other EU countries wish to
restrict the provision of gaming services to their
citizens. Thus Malta welcomes any rationalization
of the online gaming sector that is generating a generous
contribution to its GDP. But as always, our continued
success to be the leading hub in Europe is not guaranteed
and we have seen many EU members gearing up to compete
and of course enacting restrictions to protect their
own gambling state monopolies. Typically, we note
how various Members of Parliament stressed that online
gambling operators must comply with the gambling legislation
of the member state in which they provide their services
and in which the consumer resides. In their opinion,
most online gambling licence holders operate from
favourable tax jurisdictions and respect ‘country
of origin’ rules regarding the provision of services.
Under
the thinly veiled guise of protecting consumers, we
note that gambling activities have traditionally been
strictly regulated at national level. Again, it is
customary to cite the rationale of such restrictions
as the duty of each state to protect consumers against
addiction, fraud, money laundering and fixed games.
Of course these barrages of restrictions go against
the spirit and law of free movement of services in
the unified market. This led to a number of European
Court of Justice rulings on the issue and several
Commission infringement procedures posted against
member states to verify whether national measures
limiting the cross-border supply of online gambling
services are compatible with Article 49 of the EC
Treaty, which guarantees the free movement of services.
The
European Commission “does not exclude” alternative
solutions to individual infringement procedures against
member states on gambling, Last year, internal Market
Commissioner Michel Barnier, addressing a European
Parliament plenary debate in Strasbourg, revealed
his future approach to the topic during his term.
Thus it seems that some clarification is very much
overdue in this sensitive sector where member states
naturally protect their interests by blocking players
from gambling on foreign unlicensed websites. There
are currently nine Commission infringement procedures
targeting cross-border betting on sports events online
with countries, including Germany, Hungary, France,
Belgium, Sweden, Italy and The Netherlands. In this
context, Barnier said, “I want to launch a constructive
dialogue [on gambling] with the Parliament and member
states and concerned stakeholders.” He launched
a EU Green Paper that would act as a first step forward.
The most interesting question in the Green Paper is
whether online gaming market is more tightly regulated
or liberalized in the different EU member states.
The paper will cover recent cases in the European
Court of Justice due to the fact that in the past
a series of infringement procedures were opened against
member states’ gaming legislation for not complying
with the freedom to provide services of the EU Treaty.
The
legal landscape for online gambling aka igaming is
dynamic to say the least, and prospective changes
are altering the shape of the pan-European market.
Britain, for instance, could move from a highly liberalised
and commercial licensing system to a more restrictive
territory based system. According to a British government
policy paper, which, if enacted, proposes that it
would be a criminal offence to provide online gambling
services to British residents and to advertise online
gambling in the UK without a licence issued by the
Gambling Commission. If the final version of the proposal
is implemented and is tested to be compliant with
EU law, then all operators licensed in EEA member
states and Gibraltar, as well as licensees based in
the white list territories, will have to apply for
an additional operating licence in the UK. Likewise,
Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced
that the Irish government wants to introduce legislation
that would require offshore gaming companies to obtain
licences in order to operate in the Irish online market.
In Belgium, one expects significant changes to existing
regulation on betting and gaming which in some parts
are considered incompatible with EU law as licences
are only issued to existing operators. However, under
the requirements it seems next to impossible, for
a foreign EU operator to obtain an online licence
in Belgium.
In
The Netherlands online gambling is legal, but the
government has not yet issued any licences for online
poker, online bingo and online casinos. When that
may change is anyone's guess, but governments around
the world are keen to get their slice of revenue,
as the secret is out that igaming is one of the world's
most lucrative and profitable sectors.
Malta
as an EU member has a number of key strengths that
have enabled it to grow as a hub for the iGaming industry
it is today. The future is looking fantastic, and
its tipped to only get better, as the world watches
Malta to see who it's done.
News
Times
of Malta: New Online Gambling Records Expected - 23rd
March 2010
This
year was likely to be another record year in terms
of investment and injection from the igaming industry,
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said this morning.
Addressing
some 150 delegates at the sixth World Gambling Briefing
2010, being held in Malta for the first time, Mr Fenech
said that when compared to other jurisdictions Malta
fared very favourably because of its seriousness in
its regulatory approach, its business friendly measures,
the talent pool which the Maltese market attracted,
its cost of labour and its disposition of embracing
technology and financial attractiveness.
With
around 350 remote gaming licences out of the 600 applications
processed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority in
the past six years, Malta was proving that serious
regulation and stringent supervision offered the ideal
conditions for remote gaming companies to operate
in.
The
strong regulatory framework, coupled with Malta's
expertise in the gaming industry put the country's
jurisdiction on the forefront in this industry, the
minister said.
He
said that as part of its technology friendly outlook,
Malta was looking into the sphere of digital gaming
in all its shapes and forms.
Last
October the government initiated the articulation
of the national strategy for the development of the
digital gaming industry and it was being anticipated
that further global digital game developers would
be investing in Malta in the next two to three years.
Mr
Fenech said that notwithstanding the positive growth
in Malta with 5,200 people directly employed in the
industry, including 3,400 with the remote gaming industry,
Malta was not ignoring the developments on the EU
front.
Besides
the work being done by the permanent representation
in Brussels, the LGA, over the past year, established
a fully dedicated EU affairs function to ensure that
gaming was fair and transparent to the players as
well as to prevent crime, corruption, money laundering
and protect minor and vulnerable players.
Profile
Malta
is a small and densely-populated island nation comprising
an archipelago of seven islands in the Mediterranean
Sea. A country of Southern Europe, Malta lies south
of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The
country's official languages are Maltese and English.
Roman Catholicism is the most practised religion but
a significant decline has been noted among young adults
in recent years. The islands constituting the Maltese
nation have been ruled by various powers - most recently
the United Kingdom - and fought over for centuries.
Malta is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
It has been a member state of the European Union (EU)
since 2004 and it is currently the smallest EU country
in both population and area.
Early
settlements of Malta
Malta
is home to what is the oldest freestanding structure
in the world: the oldest of all the megalithic temples
on the islands is il-Ggantija, in Gozo (Ghawdex) dating
back to before 3500 BC. One of the very earliest marks
of civilization on the islands is the temple of Hagar
Qim, which dates from between 3200 and 2500 BC, stands
on a hilltop on the southern edge of the island of
Malta. Adjacent to Hagar Qim, lies another remarkable
temple site, l-Imnajdra. The society that built these
structures eventually died out or at any rate disappeared.
Phoenicians colonized the islands around 700 BC, using
them as an outpost from which they expanded sea explorations
and trade in the Mediterranean.
After
the fall of Tyre, the islands later came under the
control of Carthage (400 BC), a former Phoenician
colony, and then of Rome (218 BC). The islands prospered
under Roman rule, during which time they were considered
a Municipium and a Foederata Civitas. Many Roman antiquities
still exist, testifying to the close link between
the Maltese inhabitants and the people of Rome. The
island was a favorite among Roman soldiers as a place
to retire from active service. In AD 60, the islands
were visited by Saint Paul, who is said to have been
shipwrecked on the shores of the aptly-named "San
Pawl il-Bahar". Studies of the currents and prevalent
winds at the time however, render it more likely that
the shipwreck occurred in or around Dahlet San Tumas
in Marsascala[citation needed].
After
a period of Byzantine rule (fourth to ninth century)
and a probable sack by the Vandals, the islands were
conquered by the Arabs in AD 870. The Arabs, who generally
tolerated the population's Christianity, introduced
the cultivation of citrus fruits and cotton, and irrigation
systems. Arab influence can be seen most prominently
in the modern Maltese language, a Semitic language
which also contains significant Romance influences,
and is written in a variation of the Latin alphabet.
The
period of Arab rule lasted until 1091, when the islands
were taken by the Siculo-Normans. A century later
the last Norman king, Tancredo di Lecce, appointed
Margarito di Brindisi the first Count of Malta. Subsequent
rulers included the Angevin, Hohenstaufen, and Aragonese,
who reconstituted a County of Malta in 1283. The Maltese
nobility was established during this period; some
of it dating back to 1400. Around thirty-two noble
titles remain in use today, of which the oldest is
the Barony of Djar il-Bniet e Buqana.
Knights of Malta and Napoleon
In
1530, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain gave the
islands to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of
St John of Jerusalem in perpetual lease. (The Crown
of Aragon had owned the islands as part of its Mediterranean
empire for some time). These knights, a military religious
order now known as the "Knights of Malta",
had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire
in 1522. They withstood a full-blown siege by the
Ottoman Turks in 1565, at the time the greatest naval
power in the Mediterranean sea. After this they decided
to increase the fortifications, particularly in the
inner-harbour area, where the new city of Valletta,
named after Grand Master Jean de la Valette, was built.
Their
reign ended when Malta was captured by Napoleon en
route to his expedition of Egypt during the French
Revolutionary Wars in 1798. As a ruse, Napoleon asked
for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and then turned
his guns against his hosts once safely inside Valletta.
The Grand Master knew that he could only allow a few
ships at a time to enter the harbour, due to the Treaty
of Trent. Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim
capitulated, and Napoleon stayed in Malta for a few
days, during which time he systematically looted the
movable assets of the Order, and established an administration
controlled by his nominees. He then sailed for Egypt,
leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.
The
occupying French forces were unpopular, however, due
particularly to their negative attitude towards religion.
Their financial and religious reforms did not go down
well with the citizens. The Maltese rebelled against
them, and the French were forced behind the fortifications.
Great Britain, along with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies,
sent munitions and aid to the rebels. Britain also
sent her navy, which instigated a blockade of the
islands. The isolated French forces, under General
Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois, surrendered in 1800,
and the island became a British Dominion, being presented
by several Maltese leaders to Sir Alexander Ball.
British rule and World War II
In
1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially
became a part of the British Empire, and was used
as a shipping way-station and fleet headquarters.
Malta's position half-way between Gibraltar and the
Suez Canal proved to be its main asset during these
years, and it was considered to be an important stop
on the way to India.
In
the early 1930s, the British Mediterranean Fleet,
which was at the time the main contributor for the
commerce on the island, was moved to Alexandria as
an economic measure. Malta played an important role
during World War II, owing to its proximity to Axis
shipping lanes. The bravery of the Maltese people
in their long struggle against enemy attack moved
H.M. King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta
on a collective basis on 15 April 1942, "to bear
witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be
famous in history". Some historians argue that
the award caused Britain to incur disproportionate
losses in defending Malta, as British credibility
would suffer if Malta was subsequently surrendered
to the Axis, as Singapore had been.[3] A replica of
the George Cross now appears in the upper hoist corner
of the Flag of Malta. The collective award remained
unique until April 1999 when the Royal Ulster Constabulary
also received a collective George Cross.
Independence
After
the war, and after the Malta Labour Party's unsuccessful
attempt at "Integration with Britain", Malta
was granted independence on September 21, 1964 (Independence
Day). Under its 1964 constitution, Malta initially
retained Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta, with
a Governor-General exercising executive authority
on her behalf. On December 13, 1974 (Republic Day),
however, it became a republic within the Commonwealth,
with the President as head of state. A defence agreement
signed soon after independence (and re-negotiated
in 1972) expired on March 31, 1979 (Freedom Day) when
the British military forces were withdrawn. Malta
adopted an official policy of neutrality in 1980 and,
for a brief period was a member of the Movement of
Non-Aligned Countries. In 1989, Malta was the venue
of an important summit between US President Bush and
Soviet leader Gorbachev, their first face-to-face
encounter, which signalled the end of the Cold War.
Malta
joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.[4] Following
the conclusions of the European Council of 21 to 22
June 2007 it will be joining the Eurozone in 2008.
Politics and government
Politics of Malta
Malta
is a republic, whose parliamentary system and public
administration is closely modelled on the Westminster
system. The unicameral House of Representatives, (Maltese:
Il-Kamra tar-Rapprezentanti), is elected by direct
universal suffrage through single transferable vote
every five years, unless the House is dissolved earlier
by the President on advice of the Prime Minister.
The House of Representatives is made up of sixty-five
Members of Parliament. However, where a party wins
an absolute majority of votes, but does not have a
majority of seats, that party is given additional
seats to ensure a parliamentary majority. The Constitution
of Malta provides that the President appoint as Prime
Minister the member of the House who is best able
to command a (governing) majority in the House.
The
President of the Republic is elected every five years
by the House of Representatives. The role of the president
as head of state is largely ceremonial.
The
main political parties are the Nationalist Party,
which is a Christian democratic party, and the Malta
Labour Party, which is a social democratic party.
The
Nationalist Party is currently at the helm of the
government, the Prime Minister being Dr. Lawrence
Gonzi. The Malta Labour Party, led by Dr. Alfred Sant,
is in the opposition.
There
are a number of smaller political parties in Malta
that presently have no parliamentary representation.
Geography
Geography of Malta
Malta
is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea
(in its eastern basin), some 93 km south of the Italian
island of Sicily across the Malta Channel; east of
Tunisia and north of Libya in Africa. Only the three
largest islands Malta Island (Malta), Gozo (Ghawdex),
and Comino (Kemmuna) are inhabited. The smaller islands,
such as Filfla, Cominotto and the Islands of St. Paul
are uninhabited. Numerous bays along the indented
coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The
landscape is characterised by low hills with terraced
fields. The highest point is at Ta' Dmejrek on Malta
Island at 253 metres (830 ft) near Dingli. Although
there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall,
there are no permanent rivers or lakes on Malta. However,
some watercourses are found randomly around the island
that have fresh water running all year round. Such
places are Bahrija, Intahleb and San Martin. Running
water in Gozo is found at Lunzjata Valley.
The island of Comino
The island of Comino
Contrary
to popular belief, the south of Malta is not Europe's
most southern point; that distinction belongs to the
Greek island of Gavdos.
Climate
The
climate is Mediterranean (Köppen climate classification
Csa), with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
There is no real thermal dormant season for plants,
although plant growth can be checked briefly by abnormal
cold in winter (patches of ground frost may occur
in inland locales), and summer heat and aridity may
cause vegetation to wilt. Effectively there are only
two seasons, which makes the islands attractive for
tourists especially during the drier months. However,
strong winds can make Malta feel cold during the spring
months.
Water
supply poses a problem on Malta, as the summer is
both rainless and also the time of greatest water
use, and the winter rainfall often falls as heavy
showers and runs off to the sea rather than soaking
into the ground. Malta depends on underground reserves
of fresh water, drawn through a system of water tunnels
called the Ta' Kandja galleries, which average about
97 m. below surface and extend like the spokes of
a wheel. In the galleries in Malta's porous limestone,
fresh water lies in a lens upon brine. More than half
the potable water of Malta is produced by desalination,
which creates further issues of fossil fuel use and
pollution.
In
January 2007, International Living chose Malta as
the country with the best climate in the world.
Lowest
temperature ever recorded was in January 1905, at
+1.1C, and the highest temperature was +43.8C recorded
in August 1999. Snow is virtually unheard of, with
very few and brief snowflurries recorded in February
1895, January 1905 and March 1949.
Month Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Nov Dec
Avg high °C (°F) 21 (71) 15 (59) 15 (59) 16
(61) 18 (65) 22 (72) 27 (80) 30 (86) 30 (86) 28 (82)
24 (75) 19 (67) 16 (61)
Avg low temperature °C (°F) 15 (60) 9 (49)
9 (49) 10 (51) 12 (54) 15 (59) 19 (66) 22 (71) 22
(72) 20 (69) 18 (64) 14 (57) 11 (52)
Source: Weatherbase
Local councils
Main article: Local councils of Malta
Since
1994, Malta has been subdivided into sixty-eight local
councils. These form the most basic form of local
government. There are no intermediate levels between
local government and national government. A list of
them is below:
v • d • e
Local Councils of Malta and Gozo
Malta Island
Attard
· Balzan · Birgu (Città Vittoriosa)
· Birkirkara · Birzebbuga · Bormla
(Città Cospicua) · Dingli · Fgura
· Floriana · Gharghur · Ghaxaq
· Gudja · Gzira · Hamrun ·
Iklin · Isla (Senglea, Città Invincita)
· Kalkara · Kirkop · Lija ·
Luqa · Marsa · Marsaskala (Wied il-Ghajn)
· Marsaxlokk · Mdina (Città Notabile)
· Mellieha · Mgarr · Mosta ·
Mqabba · Msida · Mtarfa · Naxxar
· Paola (Rahal Gdid) · Pembroke ·
Pietà · Qormi (Città Pinto) ·
Qrendi · Rabat · Safi · St. Julian's
· San Gwann · St. Paul's Bay ·
Santa Lucija · Santa Venera · Siggiewi
(Città Ferdinand) · Sliema ·
Swieqi · Tarxien · Ta' Xbiex ·
Valletta (Città Umilissima) · Xghajra
· Zabbar (Città Hompesch) · Zebbug
(Città Rohan) · Zejtun (Città
Beland) · Zurrieq
Gozo Island
Fontana
· Ghajnsielem · Gharb · Ghasri
· Kercem · Munxar · Nadur ·
Qala · Rabat (Victoria) · San Lawrenz
· Sannat · Xaghra · Xewkija ·
Zebbug
Economy
Main article: Economy of Malta
Until
1800, Malta had very few industries except the cotton,
tobacco, and shipyards industry. The dockyard was
later used by the British for military purposes. At
times of war, Malta's economy prospered due to its
strategic location. This could be seen during the
Crimean War of 1854. This benefited those who had
a military role, as well as the craftsmen.
In
1869, the opening of the Suez Canal benefited Malta's
economy greatly as there was a massive increase in
the shipping which entered in the port. Entrepôt
trade saw many ships stopping at Malta's docks for
refuelling, which brought great benefits to the population.
By
the end of the 19th century, the economy began declining
and by the 1940s, Malta's economy was in serious crisis.
This was partially due to the longer range of newer
merchant ships which required less frequent refuelling
stops.
Presently,
Malta’s major resources are limestone, a favourable
geographic location, and a productive labour force.
Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has
limited freshwater supplies, and has no domestic energy
sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade
(serving as a freight trans-shipment point), manufacturing
(especially electronics and textiles), and tourism.
Tourism infrastructure has increased dramatically
over the years and a number of good-quality hotels
are present on the island. An increasing number of
Maltese now travel abroad on holiday.[9] Although
they are still a net importer of tourism, the ratio
of inbound tourists to outbound tourists is decreasing.
Film production is a growing contributor to the Maltese
economy, with several big-budget foreign films shooting
in Malta each year. The country has increased the
exports of many other types of services such as banking
and finance.
Another
important resource for the Republic is Human Resources.
The government is investing heavily in the country's
provision of education. As all education is free,
Malta is currently producing a pool of qualified persons
which heavily contribute to the country's growing
economy.
Malta
has recently privatised some state-controlled firms
and liberalised markets in order to prepare for membership
in the European Union, which it joined on May 1, 2004.
Malta and Tunisia are currently discussing the commercial
exploitation of the continental shelf between their
countries, particularly for petroleum exploration.
The
Maltese government entered ERM II on 4 May 2005, and
will adopt the euro as the country's currency on 1
January 2008.[10] Maltese euro coins will feature
the Maltese cross.
Recently
in Malta, investments have been increasing and the
strength of the Maltese Economy is increasing. A fine
example is SmartCity, which, when fully completed,
will provide well over 5600 new jobs.
Although
Malta is now a member of the European Union, it is
not a member of the Schengen Treaty yet. It is currently
adopting Schengen regulations with the goal of joining
in March 2008.
Military
Main article: Armed Forces of Malta
The
objectives of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are
to maintain a military organisation with the primary
aim of defending the Islands' integrity according
to the defence roles as set by Government in an efficient
and cost effective manner. This is achieved by emphasizing
the maintenance of Malta's territorial waters and
airspace integrity.
The
AFM also engages in combating terrorism, fighting
against illicit drug trafficking, conducting anti-illegal
immigrant and anti-illegal fishing operations, operating
Search and Rescue (SAR) services, and physical/electronic
security/surveillance of sensitive locations. Malta's
Search and Rescue area extends from east of Tunisia
to west of Crete covering an area of around 250,000
km².
As
a military organisation, the AFM provides backup support
to the Malta Police Force (MPF) and other government
departments/agencies in situations as required in
an organised, disciplined manner in the event of national
emergencies (such as natural disasters) or internal
security and bomb disposal.
On
another level, the AFM establishes and/or consolidates
bilateral co-operation with other countries to reach
higher operational effectiveness related to AFM roles.
[edit]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Malta
[edit]
Population
A
census of population and housing is held every ten
years. The last census was held over three weeks in
November 2005 and managed to enumerate an estimated
95% of the population. A preliminary report was issued
in April 2006, and results were weighted to an estimate
for 100% of the population.
The
resident population of Malta, which includes foreigners
residing in Malta for at least a year, as of 27 November
2005 was estimated at 404,039 of whom 200,715 (49.7%)
were males and 203,324 (50.3%) were females. Of these,
17.1 per cent were aged 14 and under, 68.2 per cent
were within the 15–64 age bracket whilst the
remaining 13.7 per cent were 65 years and over. Malta's
population density of 1,282 per square kilometre (3,322/sq
mi) is by far the highest in the EU, and one of the
highest in the world. The only census year showing
a fall in population was that of 1967, with a 1.7%
total decrease, attributable to a substantial number
of Maltese residents who emigrated.[13] The Maltese-resident
population for 2004 was estimated to make up 97.0%
of the total resident population.[14]
Through
all the censuses since 1842 there was always a slightly
higher female-to-male ratio. Closest to reaching equality
were 1901 and 1911 censuses. The highest female-to-male
ratio was reached in 1957 (1088:1000), and since the
ratio has been constantly dropping. The 2005 census
showed a 1013:1000 female-to-male ratio.
Population
growth has slowed down, from +9.5% between the 1985
and 1995 censuses, to +6.9% between the 1995 and 2005
censuses (a yearly average of +0.7%). The birth rate
stood at 3860 (a decrease of 21.8% from the 1995 census)
and the death rate stood at 3025. Thus, there was
a natural population increase of 835 (compared to
+888 for 2004, of which over a hundred were foreign
residents).[15]
The
population's age composition is similar to the age
structure prevalent in the EU. Since 1967 there was
observed a trend indicating an aging population, and
is expected to continue in the foreseeable future.
Malta's old-age-dependency-ratio rose from 17.2% in
1995 to 19.8% in 2005, reasonably lower than the EU's
24.9% average. In fact, 31.5% of the Maltese population
is aged under 25 (compared to the EU's 29.1%); but
the 50-64 age group constitutes 20.3% of the population,
significantly higher than the EU's 17.9%. In conclusion,
Malta's old-age-dependency-ratio is expected to continue
rising steadily in the coming years.
Maltese
legislation recognizes both civil and Canonic marriages.
Annulments by the ecclesiastic and civil courts are
unrelated and are not necessarily both granted. There
is no divorce legislation and abortion within Maltese
territory is illegal. A person has to be 16 to marry.
The number of brides aged under 25 decreased from
1471 in 1997 to 766 in 2005; while the number of grooms
under 25 decreased from 823 to 311. There is a constant
trend that females are more likely than males to marry
very young. In 2005, there were 51 brides aged between
16 and 19, compared to 8 grooms.[15]
[edit]
Languages
Main article: Maltese language
The
national language of Malta is Maltese, a Semitic language
which descended from Maghrebi Arabic, with many borrowings
from Italian and, in particular, Sicilian.[16]
The
Maltese alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, but
uses the diacritically altered letters z, also found
in Polish, as well as the letters c, g, gh, h and
ie, which are unique to Maltese. The official languages
are Maltese and English. Italian was an official language
of Malta until the 1930s, and is widely spoken as
a second or third language.[17] French, Arabic, German
and Spanish, amongst other languages, are taught as
foreign languages in secondary schools.
[edit]
Religion
The Mosta Dome
The Mosta Dome
Main article: Religion in Malta
The
Constitution of Malta provides for freedom of religion
but establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion.[18]
Freedom House and the World Factbook report that 98
percent of the population is Roman Catholic, making
the nation one of the most Catholic countries in the
world. The Sunday Mass Attendance Census 2005[19]
commissioned by the The Archdiocese of Malta reports
that 52.6% of the population attends regular religious
services. This is one of the highest rate of attendance
in Europe.
Around
22% of the population is reported to be active in
a church group, movement or community. Malta has the
highest concentration of members per capita of the
Neocatechumenal Way in the world, since it was introduced
in the islands in 1973 by three Italian catechists,
who started the first community in the Immaculate
Conception Parish in Hamrun.
The
Patron Saints are Saint Paul, Saint Agata and Saint
George Preca, known as Dun Gorg - the first Maltese
saint, canonized on 3 June 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
There
are also some churches of other denominations, such
as St. Andrew's Scots Church in Valletta (a joint
Presbyterian and Methodist congregation) and St Paul's
Anglican Cathedral.
[edit]
Migration
EU
nationals require neither a visa nor a passport (an
ID card or an expired passport are enough) to enter
the country. Citizens of a number of third countries
are not required to apply for a visa and require only
a valid passport when residing in Malta for up to
three months. Visas for other nationalities are valid
for one month.
Immigrants,
even those with EU citizenship, are required to apply
for a work permit. This exception to EU law was agreed
upon before accession to safeguard the Maltese labour
market. In practice though, all work permits to EU
nationals are granted and currently this exercise
is only used to monitor the labour market for any
needed intervention. The safeguards negotiated in
Malta's accession have never been put into effect
and it is unlikely that they will.
The
estimated net inflow (using data for 2002 to 2004)
was of 1,913 persons yearly. Over the last 10 years,
Malta accepted back a yearly average of 425 returning
emigrants.[14]
During
2006, a total of 1,800 illegal immigrants reached
Malta making the boat crossing from the North Africa
coast. Most of them intended to reach mainland Europe
and happened to come to Malta by mistake.[20][21]
Given Malta's high population density, the impact
of this figure on Malta is equivalent to that of an
arrival of 369,000 irregular immigrants in Germany
and other large EU member states.[22] In the first
half of 2006, 967 irregular immigrants arrived in
Malta – almost double the 473 who arrived in
the same period in 2005.[23]
Around
45% of immigrants landed in Malta have been granted
refugee (5%) or protected humanitarian status (40%).
A White Paper suggesting the grant of Maltese citizenship
to refugees resident in Malta for over ten years was
issued in 2005. Historically Malta gave refuge (and
assisted in their resettlement) to eight hundred or
so East African Asians who had been expelled from
Uganda by Idi Amin and to just under a thousand Iraqis
fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime.
Presently
the problem of illegal immigration has increased steadily,
causing real or perceived strains on Malta's health,
employment and social services, its internal security
and public order and labour market. Detention costs
for the first half of 2006 alone cost Lm320,423 (€746,385).
In
2005, Malta sought EU aid in relation to reception
of irregular immigrants, repatriation of those denied
refugee status, resettlement of refugees into EU countries,
and maritime security.[25] In December 2005, the European
Council adopted The Global Approach to Migration:
Priority Actions focusing on Africa and the Mediterranean;
but the deployment of said actions has been limited
to the western Mediterranean, thus putting further
pressure on the central Mediterranean route for irregular
immigration of which Malta forms a part.
Political
tension started developing as the EU persistently
ignored Malta's precarious situation: member states
party to the legally-binding Cotonou Agreement continued
not to fulfill their obligations and East African
countries, from which most central Mediterranean irregular
immigration originates, were excluded from the Euro-African
Conference on Migration and Development held 10-11
July 2006 in Tripoli).[23]
Education
Education
is compulsory between the ages of 3 and 16 years.
While the state provides education free of charge,
the Church and the private sector run a number of
schools in Malta and Gozo. Most of the teachers' salary
in Church schools is paid by the state.
Education
in Malta is based on the British Model.Tertiary
education at diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate
level is mainly provided by the University of Malta
(UoM).
The
adult literacy rate is 92.8%.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Malta
The
culture of Malta is a reflection of various cultures
that have come into contact with the Maltese Islands
throughout the centuries, including neighbouring Mediterranean
cultures, and the cultures of the nations that ruled
Malta for long periods of time prior to its independence
in 1964.
Cuisine
Maltese
cuisine
Maltese
cuisine is the result of a long relationship between
the Islanders and the many foreigners who made Malta
their home over the centuries. This marriage of tastes
has given Malta an eclectic mix of Mediterranean cooking.
Many popular Maltese specialities are Italian/Sicilian
or Moorish in origin.
Music
Main article: Music of Malta
While
Maltese music today is largely western, traditional
Maltese music includes what is known as ghana. This
consists of background folk guitar music, while a
few people take it in turns to argue a point in a
singsong voice. The aim of the lyrics, which are improvised,
are to create a friendly yet challenging atmosphere,
and takes a number of years of practice to be able
to combine the required artistic qualities with the
ability to debate effectively. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
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