Environment
The islands of Malta (Malta, Gozo and Comino) lie in the central Mediterranean with Italy to the north and Libya to the south.
History
Malta had a well developed Neolithic temple culture as early as 3600 BC. The islands were occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Byzantines. North African Arabs ruled from 870 to 1090 AD when they were ousted by the Normans. Other rulers included the Angevins, Catalan/ Aragones, Castilians and Sicilians. In 1530 Malta was ceded to the Order of St John (Knights Templar). Italian influence remained strong. It was occupied by the French in the Napoleonic Wars and given to the British in 1814 on condition that the Roman Catholic Church was maintained and the Maltese Declaration of Rights was honoured. It was granted a devolved government in 1921 and became independent in 1964.
Governance
The 1964 constitution provides protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, origin, political views, colour, creed and sex. The 1987 European Convention Act is the Maltese law implementing the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Specific legislation enacted to implement the EU directives for equal racial treatment and equal treatment in employment includes the 2000 Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act, the 2002 Employment and Industrial Relations Act (relating to the private sector), the 2003 Equality for Men and Women Act, and the 2004 legal notice regarding discrimination against religion or religious belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic origin in employment (this was missing from the Employment and Industrial Relations Act).
It is planned that the Commission for the Promotion of Equality between Men and Women will be expanded to encompass the wider range of equal treatment. The burden of proof of discrimination remains with the complainant.
In 1994 the Maltese Language Board was set up to promote the language. When Malta joined the European Union in 2004, Maltese became an official EU language, but the range of technical words was insufficient for all EU documents to be translated into Maltese. The 2004 Maltese Language Act aims to overcome this.
