61% Of Maltese Support Government Actions On EU Entry

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

13 June 2002

A survey conducted by the Malta Independent this week has revealed that 61% of those questioned feel that the Maltese government is securing the best possible conditions for the country's entry to the European Union.

Although the government is in favour of accession to the EU, the country is politically deeply divided on the issue, a fact which has considerably slowed negotiations.

The results of the Malta Independent survey seem to suggest that the Maltese authorities are heading in the right direction, but the newspaper revealed on Wednesday that respondents also expressed some reservations. Of the 61.3% who said that they thought that the government was securing the most advantageous entry conditions, 26% added the proviso 'but not in everything'.

However, only 22.3% of those questioned actually stated that in their opinion the government was not dealing well with the issue.

Alarmingly for a country which was provisionally scheduled to accede to the European Union in 2004, though, 16.3% of those polled said that they could not comment, as their knowledge on the subject was too limited.

Recommended