The language framework rests on Article 5 of the Constitution, which designates Maltese as the national language and recognises both Maltese and English as official languages, with Maltese as the language of the courts. The Maltese Language Act (Cap. 470, 2004) establishes the Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti (National Council for the Maltese Language) with responsibility for the promotion, standardisation, orthographic regulation and lexicographical development of Maltese.
Language provisions of relevance to culture include: the Broadcasting Act (Cap. 350, 1991) and its subsidiary regulations on Maltese-language content quotas for public-service broadcasting; the Code of Organization and Civil Procedure (Cap. 12), which has provided for Maltese as the language of judicial proceedings since 1934; and curriculum frameworks under the https://education.gov.mt/Ministry for Education and Sportsprescribing Maltese as the medium of primary education and bilingual provision in secondary education.
Malta signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1992 but has not ratified it; the Government’s 2021 National Cultural Policy does not commit to ratification. There is no statutory minimum-language requirement for theatre, cinema or live performance, but cultural-policy instruments — including the ACM Call for Proposals for Original Musicals in the Maltese Language (2022–2026), the Newspapers Support Scheme and the National Book Council’s Maltese-language literary prizes — incentivise Maltese-language production.
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