In 1999, the population of Malta was estimated to be around 400,000 people, with a majority of the population being Maltese and a minority of British, Italian and other European citizens. The economy of Malta was largely based on services such as finance, tourism and shipping. Foreign relations at this time were largely positive, with strong ties to other countries in Europe and beyond. Politically, Malta had recently become a multi-party democracy after decades of authoritarian rule. This allowed for increased political diversity and opposition parties were able to contest in elections for the first time. This ushered in a period of greater freedom and openness in the country’s politics. See ethnicityology for Malta in the year of 2018.
Yearbook 1999
Malta. Visit Countryaah official website to get information about the capital city of Malta. At the EU summit in Helsinki during the autumn, it was decided that Malta will be one of the six countries to start membership negotiations in February 2000.
- Also see Abbreviationfinder.org to see the acronym of MLT which stands for Malta and other definitions of this 3-letter abbreviation.
September
Former Chief of Staff suspected of bribery
September 23
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s Chief of Staff Keith Schrembi is arrested on suspicion of bribery and money laundering in connection with the sale of Maltese citizenship to wealthy foreigners. Authorities also freeze the assets of Schrembis and his family, but he is released on bail while the investigation is ongoing. Schrembi has previously been arrested and questioned by police in another case – the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (see November 26, 2019).
Amnesty criticizes Malta’s migration policy
September 8
According to Amnesty International, Malta uses “abominable and illegal tactics” against migrants from North Africa. This concerns both the fact that the Maltese government has rejected and sent migrants back on ships to Libya, but also that hundreds of people have been quarantined on ferries off the coast. The human rights organization also criticizes the Maltese government for concluding a cooperation agreement with Libya to stop migrants from moving on to Europe.
