On Saturday the Prime Minister of Malta Dr. Lawrence Gonzi spoke of the government’s work in its third year. Addressing a press conference in Castille Palace Valletta, the Prime Minister stated that the government’s work is reaping successful results. He added that in the upcoming two years the government will strive to follow up these successes so that they can be felt by the Maltese and Gozitan populations at large.
Dr. Lawrence Gonzi stated that the government’s greatest achievement in its third year in power was Malta’s economic growth of 2.5%, which is double the percentage the government had predicted. The Prime Minister also explained how the government invested in human resources and education in the past year, along with restructuring the public sector. In turn, changes in the manufacturing industry along with the rising price of international oil were cited by the Prime Minster as one of the biggest challenges the government faced. On a European level, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi explained that Malta continued to register further success by paving the way to join the euro currency while making use the €805 million at Malta’s disposal thanks to the European Union budget.
Dr. Gonzi stated that the government successfully managed to attract foreign investment through projects such as Smartcity@Malta and HSBC call center which will result in almost 6,000 jobs. In turn the government is investing in people older than the age of 40 in order for them to offer their skills in the Maltese employment scene, explained the Prime Minister.
Infrastructural achievements highlighted by the Prime Minister during the press conference included the rebuilding of 16 kilometers of roads thorough funding by the Italian Protocol and EU funds; and works on a further 170 roads. Dr. Lawrence Gonzi also made reference achievements in the educational sector such as of the building of St. Benedict College in Kirkop, the investment in post-secondary-education institutions such as MCAST and the Institute of Tourism Studies.
The Prime Minister also condemned the recent series of arson attacks carried out on homes of hjournalists and persons working in close contact with illegal immigrants. Dr. Lawrence Gonzi encouraged citizens to face upcoming changes and exploit them along with the opportunities they bring, rather than fear them.
In turn, in reaction to the press conference Opposition and Malta Labour Party (MLP) leader Dr. Alfred Sant stated that the claims made throughout the press conference held by Prime Minister Dr. Lawrence Gonzi confirm the Nationalist Party’s (PN) incompetence. Dr. Sant added that it is arrogant of the Prime Minister to declare that the situation of Malta and its citizens is improving in face of the electoral losses the PN faced in the European Parliament and local council elections.
The Opposition leader also stated that the number of people registering for jobs stands at 7,000, while adding that statistics published by Eurostat revealed that in 2006 Malta’s increase in the unemployment rate stood as the highest among all countries of the EU bloc.
© Copyright 2006 - MaltaMedia Online Network
Top of Page
| 
