A European microstate or European ministate is a very small sovereign state in Europe. In modern usage, it typically refers to the six smallest states in Europe by area: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City (the Holy See).[1] Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Vatican City are monarchies (Vatican City is an elective monarchy ruled by the Pope). These states trace their status back to the first millennium or the early second millennium except for Liechtenstein, created in the 17th century.
Microstates are small independent states recognised by larger states. According to the qualitative definition suggested by Zbigniew Dumieński (2014), microstates can also be viewed as "modern protected states, i.e. sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints."[2]
In line with this definition, only Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino qualify as "microstates" as only these states are sovereignties functioning in close, but voluntary, association with their respective larger neighbours. Luxembourg which is far larger than all the European microstates combined, nonetheless shares some of these characteristics.[3]
These may or may not be considered microstates:
The European microstates are all of limited size and population. They also have limited natural resources. As a result, they have adopted special economic policies, typically involving low levels of taxation and few restrictions on external financial investment. Malta is a full member of the European Union, while the other five European microstates have obtained special relations with the European Union. Many of the microstates have also entered into a customs union with their larger neighbours to improve their economic situation (Vatican City[citation needed] and San Marino with Italy, Liechtenstein with Switzerland, Monaco with France). Most of them lack clearly marked borders[citation needed]; for example, Monaco forms a continuous metropolitan area with its neighbouring French communes (the largest being Beausoleil) and has many streets running across or along the border[citation needed].
What countries are microstates is a grey area, but has been defined by some institutions but there is no unified standards. Two institutions, World Bank and the IMF, place a limit for microstates at 200 thousand population. However, others have focused on area not population. The larger microstates are less likely to be considered such, and while Malta may sometimes be considered one its not common to describe Iceland, Montenegro, or Luxembourg. However, these are more likely to be deemed a small state, which has defined as state less 1.5 million people, though some go as high as several million if the state has limited land area.
World Bank uses a threshold of 1.5 million population or less to describe a small state, and less than 200 thousand population for microstates.[10]Some researches have suggested a microstate has up to one million in population, and one as 1.5 million, but that is also used as threshold for small states not microstates.[11] The World Bank settled on 200 thousand for a microstate as does the IMF.[10][12] A microstate has also been defined as less then the 100 thousand population.[13]
A Czech study on microstates in the year 2000, defined three sizes of microstate, and one subtype. The Czech definition focus on land area but also noted population: 1) small microstates (0-100 km2), 2) medium microstates (100-500 km2), 3) large microstates (500-1000 km2. Then a fourth category for large microstate with a large population. [14]
A paper in 2020 discussed the history of the smallest European states, and compared Malta and Cyprus to Andorra, Lichtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino.[15]
Including both traditional microstates and small states in the European region yields several more examples, such as Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Montenegro.[11]
While the microstates have sovereignty over their own territory, there are also a number of small autonomous territories, which despite having (in almost all cases) their own independent government, executive branch, legislature, judiciary, police, and other trappings of independence, are nonetheless under the sovereignty of another state or monarch.
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a Catholic lay order that is a traditional example of a sovereign entity under international law other than a state.
Unlike the Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City, the Order has no territory. However, its headquarters, located in Palazzo Malta and Villa Malta, are granted extraterritoriality by Italy, and the same status is recognised by Malta regarding its historical headquarters, located in Fort St Angelo.[16] The Order is the direct successor to the medieval Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Knights of Malta, and today operates as a largely charitable and ceremonial organisation.
It has permanent non-state observer status at the United Nations, has full diplomatic relations, including embassies, with 100 states[17] and is in more informal relationships with five others. It issues its own stamps, coins, passports, and license plates, and has its own army medical corps[citation needed].
The wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars caused the European map to be redrawn several times. A number of short-lived client republics were created, and the fall of the Holy Roman Empire gave sovereignty to each of its many surviving Kleinstaaten. The situation was not stabilised until after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Following World War I and World War II a number of territories gained temporary status as international zones, protectorates or occupied territories. A few of them are mentioned here:
Several historical territorial dependencies and colonies have also formerly existed in Europe, under the sovereignty of another state or monarch. These include:
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