Editing History of Malta (section)

=== Accession process to the European Union (1987–2004) ===
[[File:Edward Fenech Adami.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Eddie Fenech Adami]], Prime Minister of Malta 1987–96 and 1998–2004, and President of Malta 2004–09]]
The [[1987 Maltese general election|general elections that followed in 1987]] saw the Nationalist Party achieve such a majority of votes. The new Nationalist administration of Edward Fenech Adami sought to improve Malta's ties with [[Western Europe]] and the [[United States]].
The [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] advocated Malta's membership in the European Union presenting an application on 16 July 1990. This became a divisive issue, with [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] opposing membership.

A wide-ranging programme of liberalisation and public investments meant the confirmation in office of the Nationalists with a larger majority in the [[1992 Maltese general election|1992 elections]]. In 1993, local councils were re-established in Malta.

[[1996 Maltese general election|General elections were held in Malta on 26 October 1996]]; although [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] received the most votes, the Nationalists won the most seats. The 1987 constitutional amendments had to be used for the second time, and the Labour Party was awarded an additional four seats to ensure they had a majority in Parliament.
Malta's EU application was subsequently frozen.
A split in the Labour Party in 1998, between the PM Sant and the former PM Mintoff (died in 2012) resulted in the government losing the majority. Notwithstanding the President of the Republic's preference for a negotiated solution, all attempts proved futile, and he had no other option but to accept Sant and his government's resignation and a call for early elections.

On being returned to office in the [[1998 Maltese general election|1998 elections]] with a wide 13,000&nbsp;vote margin, the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] reactivated the EU membership application. Malta was formally accepted as a candidate country at the Helsinki European Council of December&nbsp;1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presidency Conclusions – Helsinki European Council – 10 and 11&nbsp;December 1999 |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/acfa4c.htm |website=Council of the European Union|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206132601/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/acfa4c.htm |archive-date=6 February 2016}}</ref>
In 2000, [[capital punishment]] was abolished also from the military code of Malta.

EU accession negotiations were concluded late in 2002 and a [[2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum|referendum on membership in 2003]] saw 90.86% casting a valid vote of which 53.65% were "yes" votes. [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] stated that it would not be bound by this result were it returned to power in the following general election that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maltese back EU entry |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2833889.stm |date=9 March 2003}}</ref> In the circumstances, elections were called and the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]], led by Prime minister Fenech Adami, [[2003 Maltese general election|won another mandate]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Malta votes for pro-EU party |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2943597.stm |date=13 April 2003}}</ref> In April 2004, Eddie Fenech Adami was sworn in as [[President of Malta]]. [[Lawrence Gonzi]] succeeded him as Prime Minister and the leader of the Nationalist Party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Malta prime minister resigns |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2004/03/24/Malta-prime-minister-resigns/89751080128026/ |work=UPI |language=en}}</ref> The accession treaty was signed and ratified and Malta joined the EU on 1&nbsp;May 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=WTO {{!}} Malta - Member information |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/malta_e.htm |website=www.wto.org}}</ref> A consensus on membership was subsequently achieved with [[Malta Labour Party|Labour]] saying it would respect this result. [[Joe Borg]] was appointed as first Maltese [[European commissioner]] in the first [[Barroso Commission]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Borg re-nominated as EU commissioner |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/joe-borg-re-nominated-as-eu-commissioner.116747 |work=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref>