Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday spoke extensively about the government’s agreement with SR Technics and EasyJet in his parliamentary speech on Budget 2010, saying the agreement confirms that Vision 2015 is turning into reality.

“A couple of years back I proposed Vision 2015, which is aimed at turning the country into a centre of excellence in Europe and in the Mediterranean in seven particular areas,” he told the House.

Speaking about the aviation maintenance industry in Malta, he also mentioned the Lufthansa Technik investment, and said the German maintenance company is a very important partner for Malta.

The announcement that SR Technics will be opening a maintenance facility in Malta and creating a number of employment opportunities was received very well by both the local and the international community.

“How different this reaction was to the opposition leader’s reaction to Budget 2010 in parliament, just a day before the SR Technics announcement,” said Dr Gonzi.

The government is proving that it wants to continue generating employment opportunities, he said, adding that opposition leader Joseph Muscat preferred to criticise the government and say that a number of promises were not fulfilled.

The prime minister said Dr Muscat was misleading in saying this, and he presented a list of things mentioned by the opposition leader and their stage of implementation.

Some projects are at an advanced stage, others are still awaiting Mepa permits, while others are in the contestation stage, said Dr Gonzi.

Dr Muscat’s behaviour in this regard is disgusting (dan jaqq fil-politika), he said, it is simply not done.

As he spoke about the employment situation, he mentioned the fact that a number of jobs were safeguarded thanks to the government’s intervention, though he acknowledged that there were also people who lost their jobs.

He said that while unemployment has increased, there are positive signs, such as the fact that there was a 15 per cent increase in the number of women working full-time over the last five years.

Going through the number of initiatives in Budget 2010, Dr Gonzi said it is a turning point in the history of recent budgets.

The budget is full of measures and schemes aimed at investors and businesses, particularly small businesses.

Budget 2010 includes, for instance, a e10 million fund that will give a micro-credit not exceeding e25,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed with the aim of providing them with the necessary liquidity for investment.

A number of fiscal benefits will also be given to motivate those enterprises to invest, expand and increase their efficiency.

Among these are a 40 per cent tax credit, up to a maximum of e25,000, to self-employed persons and enterprises which employ up to a maximum of 10 persons, and sole traders.

Speaking about the social sector, he said a recent study has shown that Malta’s social benefits greatly helps people at risk of poverty and effectively reduces this risk by half.

“We have a system that works. With regard to abuse, let’s fight it yes, but let’s be careful. I’m all for cutting abuse, but we also have to take into consideration the fact that there are innocent children in the picture when the people receiving the social benefits are children with an unknown father or single parents.

“We have to take into consideration the fact that there are people who are innocent, weak and living in difficulty,” he said.

Dr Gonzi went on to speak about the country’s financial and economic situation, insisting that Malta is in a much better situation than other countries.

“Compared to other countries, we are in a relatively better position and that will give us a head start that should translate into opportunities for the country next year.”

While Dr Muscat said he could not understand the government’s economic strategy, said Dr Gonzi, the International Monetary Fund, Moody’s, the European Commission and others have spoken positively about the government’s fiscal policy for 2009.

Dr Gonzi criticised the opposition for failing to come up with proposals for the education sector, something it said it would do, particularly with regard to problems being faced by children in the Cospicua area.

On the utility tariffs, the prime minister said that since the country still has two power stations that operate on oil, the tariffs have to be linked to the price of oil.