Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

BACKGROUND:
Though only officially becoming a member on 1
May 2004, Malta has enjoyed increasingly close relations
with the EU since its independence in 1964. The relationship
was forged on the basis of trade, as the countries have
sought to gradually remove trade barriers to allow greater
access to each other’s markets. As of 2002, trade with the
EU accounted for 46% of Malta’s exports and 67% of its
imports. 1 In addition to this, the EU provided financial assistance
to Malta intermittently during the late 1970s and
early 1980s. In the 1990s, Malta applied for membership in
the EU and by December 2002, all negotiations concerning
accession were completed. In a March 2003 referendum,
53.6% of Maltese citizens voted in favour of membership,
and Malta acceded to the Union on 1 May 2004. 2
MEDIA SOURCES:
Di-ve
www.di-ve.com
Di-ve is a leading online news media portal in Malta. It is
owned by the telecommunications company GO and is not
affiliated with any particular political party though the
NGO Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe has labelled
Di-ve as liberal in terms of its political orientation. 3
The Malta Star
www.maltastar.com
The Malta Star is a free online newspaper established and
owned by the social democratic Malta Labour Party. Its political
orientation is social democratic and it is characterized
as having a strong amount of scepticism towards the
EU. 4 It is the main online competitor of di-ve.com.
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