Taktiky prosazování národních zájmů mikrostáty v Radě EU – případová studie Malta

The study of great powers regarding the number of studies conducted has always suppressed the study of small states. In the case of microstates, this difference is even more visible. Therefore, this bachelor’s thesis deals with the tactics that Malta, as a microstate, uses to pursue its national interests. In particular, it deals with the case of immigration as the critical national interest of Malta in the Council of the European Union. The theoretical framework of this thesis introduces the tactics that small states use to pursue their national interests, which are later compared with the strategies that Malta applies in the Council of the European Union regarding immigration. Based on the comparison, this thesis aims to determine whether Malta as a microstate uses the same tactics to pursue its interests as the small states and whether it is limited in applying particular strategies due to its size. It was discovered that Malta, as a microstate, uses most of the tactics of small states to pursue its interests regarding immigration in the Council of the European Union. However, as the smallest member state, Malta differs in the scope of applying these strategies.