History of Maltese independence

History: Malta

From the Malta Independence Act, 1964 to independence on 21 September 1964 and UN admission that December.

1 min read

Published

24 September 2026

Status verified as of

18 September 2026

The 1963 Independence Conference

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 under Dom Mintoff, which had campaigned for integration with Britain or full self-determination, put forward six conditions of its own for the constitution, and disagreement over the powers Britain would retain continued into 1964.[1]

13 July 1963 · Agreement

Malta Independence Conference, 1963

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.

Independence

The Malta Independence Act, 1964, given Royal Assent on 31 July 1964, provided that on an appointed day, "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; the Malta Labour Party boycotted the independence celebrations over its unresolved constitutional disagreements.[3][1]

21 September 1964 · Declaration

Independence of Malta, 1964

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.

United Nations membership

The Security Council unanimously recommended Malta's UN membership on 30 October 1964, and the General Assembly admitted Malta by decision on 1 December 1964.[4][5]

1 December 1964 · Recognition

Admission of Malta to the United Nations, 1964

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.

Sources for this page

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.

State of Malta (Wikipedia) link, Path to independence section. Source record
How Malta Became Independent: The Long Road to the 21st of September 1964 (Yellow.com.mt) link, article text. Source record

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."

Parliament of the United Kingdom, Malta Independence Act 1964 (Chapter 86) (31 July 1964) link, Section 1. Government perspective or primary official source Source record

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.

United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly, Nineteenth Session (United Nations) link, index entry. Source record Consulted via a UN library index rather than the Order in Council itself.

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.

United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 196 (1964) (United Nations, 30 October 1964) link, resolution text. Source record

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.

United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly, Nineteenth Session (United Nations) link, index entry. Source record Consulted via a UN library index of the nineteenth session rather than the General Assembly's own decision text.