Covers the July 1963 Malta Independence Conference and its aftermath, the Malta Independence Act, 1964, the 21 September 1964 appointed day, and Malta's UN admission on 1 December 1964. It does not cover the earlier pre-1963 political history of Malta, or Malta's 1974 transition to a republic.
A constitutional conference in London beginning 13 July 1963, led for Malta by Premier George Borg Olivier of the Nationalist Party, produced Britain's commitment to grant Malta independence; the Malta Labour Party under Dom Mintoff, which had campaigned for integration with Britain or full self-determination, disagreed with the resulting constitutional terms and boycotted the independence celebrations.[1] The Malta Independence Act, 1964, enacted by the UK Parliament and given Royal Assent on 31 July 1964, provided that on a day to be appointed by Order in Council, "Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Malta."[2] That day was set as 21 September 1964.[3] Malta was admitted to the United Nations by decision of the General Assembly on 1 December 1964, following a unanimous Security Council recommendation the previous month; the admission is recorded as a decision rather than a numbered resolution because the Assembly's nineteenth session, held during the Article 19 financial dispute, adopted no numbered resolutions.[4][5]
Status verified as of
Malta has been an independent, UN-member state since 1964.[5]
History
From the Malta Independence Act, 1964 to independence on 21 September 1964 and UN admission that December.
181 words · 1 min read
· Agreement
A constitutional conference held in London in July 1963, led for Malta by Premier George Borg Olivier, agreed that Britain would grant Malta independence, though disagreements over the constitution's terms continued into 1964.
Significance here: The conference at which Britain committed to Maltese independence, though its aftermath remained contested.
· Declaration
The Malta Independence Act, 1964 ended British responsibility for the government of Malta from a day appointed by Order in Council, which was set as 21 September 1964.
Significance here: The Act that ended British colonial rule and established Malta as an independent state within the Commonwealth.
· Recognition
The Security Council unanimously recommended Malta's admission to the United Nations on 30 October 1964, and the General Assembly admitted it by decision on 1 December 1964.
Significance here: Formal international recognition of Maltese statehood following independence.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: Premier George Borg Olivier of the Nationalist Party led the Maltese delegation to a constitutional conference in London beginning 13 July 1963, at the end of which Britain announced that Malta would become independent. The Malta Labour Party, led by Dom Mintoff, had campaigned instead for integration with the United Kingdom or full self-determination, and afterward put forward six conditions of its own for the independence constitution; disagreement over the extent of powers Britain would retain continued into 1964, and the Labour Party boycotted the independence celebrations that September.
Claim: The Malta Independence Act, 1964, given Royal Assent on 31 July 1964, provided in Section 1(1): "On and after such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint (in this Act referred to as 'the appointed day') Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Malta."
Claim: The appointed day under Section 1 of the Malta Independence Act, 1964, left to be fixed by a later Order in Council, was set as 21 September 1964, the date of Malta's independence.
Claim: On 30 October 1964, at its 1161st meeting, the Security Council, having examined the application of Malta, unanimously recommended to the General Assembly that Malta be admitted to UN membership.
Claim: Malta was admitted to United Nations membership by a decision of the General Assembly taken at its 1286th plenary meeting on 1 December 1964; because the nineteenth session adopted no numbered resolutions during the dispute over Article 19 of the Charter, the admission is recorded as a decision rather than a numbered resolution.