Relationship dossier
Italy
Malta
Relationship assessment
Sustained treaty and energy cooperation, alongside recurring migration and maritime disagreements
Italy toward Malta
+40Italy entered into a 1980 treaty concerning Malta's neutrality and bilateral cooperation, and the two governments have pursued practical energy cooperation through an electricity interconnector. Migration and maritime responsibilities have also been recurring sources of friction.
Malta toward Italy
+40Malta entered into the 1980 neutrality and cooperation treaty with Italy and has participated in bilateral energy cooperation, including the electricity interconnector. Disagreements over migration and maritime responsibilities have complicated the relationship.
Overall relationship
+40The enduring relationship combines a formal framework for neutrality and cooperation with concrete energy links. These substantial cooperative elements are tempered by recurring disputes over migration management and maritime responsibilities, producing a generally cooperative but not consistently smooth relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Italy and Malta have a sustained relationship shaped by a 1980 neutrality and cooperation treaty and practical energy cooperation, including an electricity interconnector linking the two countries. Their cooperation coexists with recurring disagreements over migration and maritime responsibilities, particularly search and rescue and the disembarkation of migrants.
Areas of tension
- Disagreements over the disembarkation of migrants rescued at sea.
- Disputes concerning search-and-rescue responsibilities and maritime zones.
Key developments
Italy and Malta concluded a treaty concerning Malta's neutrality and bilateral cooperation.
An electricity interconnector linking Malta and Italy entered service, establishing a concrete energy connection between the countries.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation arrangements are unclear.
- The frequency and resolution of disputes over migration and maritime responsibilities are uncertain.