Nanoforum - Nanotech Regulatory Document Archive

10. Malta
10.1. General information
Malta is an archipelago consisting of three inhabited islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino
and two other uninhabited islands, Cominotto and Filfla. The Maltese Islands are
situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, with Malta lying 93 km south of Sicily
and 230 km north of North Africa. The total area of the islands is 316 sq. km (Malta 246,
Gozo 67, Comino 2.7) and their total population in 2000 was 382,525 (89 % urban).
The GDP reached 3.9 billions of euros in 2000 and the GDP per capita was 12 600 €.
Figure 21: Map of Malta
The country economy is based on tertiary industries and on industries linked to the
activities of its ports.
Although Malta is a small country with a relatively young local manufacturing base, it has
developed this sector at a remarkably fast pace. Important traditional sectors
(shipbuilding, processed food and beverages, textiles and clothing, plastics and metal
products, building materials, furniture and fixtures, giftware and home accessories,
cosmetics, etc) are offset by the growth of lucrative, high-tech sectors such as electronic
parts, microchips and components and electrical equipment. Malta is scheduled to join
the EU in 2004.
Malta assigns top priority to the role of science and technology on the National Agenda.
For this reason, in August 1988, the Government set up the Malta Council for Science
and Technology (MCST) as an advisory body to assist in the formulation of a National
Science and Technology Policy. The MCST is responsible for identifying and addressing
major science and technology challenges and issues of strategic importance for Malta
thereby contributing to the development of coherent and sustainable policy visions and
initiatives.
147