There will not be an early general election this year. Notwithstanding the Opposition’s insistence on pulling the country into election frenzy, the government is focused on governing. The insistence was persistent, prolonged and to a certain extent, grew tiresome for everyone but more so for a commercial community which has suffered two diluted Christmas seasons in a row.

Such prolonged insistence speaks volumes of the Opposition’s urgency to go to the polls and its willingness to put cogs in the wheels of a government which is only intent on governing the country out of a pandemic and into economic prosperity. It equally speaks volumes of the disalignment between the direction of the Opposition and the sentiment of the population. The latter, largely made up of working families, small business owners and employers, were more willing to hear the budget speech which will take us steadily  into the coming year. The vast majority of families, workers and small business owners are more focused on the way that budget will be implemented.

 

The national interest dicates

A responsible government is guided by national interest more than by political exigencies. The national interest dictates unfettered focus on building the best possible response to the global challenges before us – Climate Change and sustainable economic recovery following the pandemic.

The world over is rightly attentive to news that emerged from Glasgow where world leaders gathered to take important decisions. Given the forecasted temperature rises, such decisions will have a heavy bearing on the planet in the short-term as well as the long-term, and it will impact our own lives. The strong assertions being made in Glasgow are more than just talk, and it is worth noting that Malta is among those willing to take decisive steps especially on deforestation.

Such attitude towards positive action against Climate Change is duly reflected locally. Significant action is decisively enabled by the budget allocation for the forthcoming year which responsibly makes optimal use of the largest European Union funds allocation for Malta since acceeding to the European Union.

 

We want to emerge stronger

The challenges of the past year and a half  were experienced cross-sectionally in our society but we are still eager to emerge stronger and recover in a manner that is sustainable, equitable and green. This is the essence of the Recovery and Resilience Plan put forth after wide consultation with stakeholders and social partners. A plan described as ambitious on environmental action by none other than the President of the European Commission.

Following the Commission’s approval the government is only expecting the greenlight to start implementing the disbursal of €345 million in recovery funds which entirely form part of the grant component of the Next Generation EU. This will result in renovation, and retrofitting of public and private buildings, the decarbonisation of transport starting with induced initiatives in favour of electrifying road transport, and a modal shift in transport that will see more reliance on public transportation and alternative (cleaner) modes of transport.

 

More social process and a better standard of living

The country is eager for more social progress and a better standard of living across different income categories. This will be realised with the disbursement of the €193 million in resources from the European Social Fund which will be mostly spread among parents, persons with disability, disadvantaged children and youths and persons lacking the necessary skills to join the workforce. Social progress in this day and age relates to lifelong learning to enable progression to workers, upskilling and reskilling to induce the country’s capacity in the green and digital sectors, and fostering digital skills among children from a very young age to prepare them for an ever changing work environment.

In the last months we have been engaged in public consultations on the implementation of Cohesion funds, the Just Transition Fund which lies behind our push for decarbonisation, regional development funds and the funds for fisheries and agriculture.

We are focused on turning the positive public feedback into action that will see a fair disbursement and important investment experienced by the whole resident population in our island State. We are on the side of working families and small business owners. We are focused on delivering the change that matters – social and environmental.

 

Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi is Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds at the Office of the Prime Minister