The government is insisting that competitiveness is the responsibility of everyone and that the upgrading of the standard of products and services is essential in order to attract more investment. The government is working in this direction, but all sectors of society – including unions, constituted bodies, industry and small businesses – must contribute towards this aim.

Commenting about the World Economic Forum Report that was made public by Competitive Malta on Wednesday, the ministry said that Malta compared well with countries that have been European Union members for a long time, including Greece and Italy. Malta is also on the same levels as Ireland and France.

The government’s work was putting Malta on the same levels as other countries. Results will not arrive in the short-term, but the government is sure that the priorities on which it is working will have the desired effect.

Recent statistics issued by the National Statistics Office reveal that Malta is increasing its competitiveness in new sectors. Investment in the first six months of the year increased to Lm30.4 million.

The report mentions that the country’s deficit, the government’s expenditure, investment in research, development and innovation were among the factors to contributed to Malta’s position.

It is in this perspective that the government is reducing the deficit to acceptable terms to ensure that Malta becomes more competitive.

The results achieved by the government in the telecommunications and information technology sector contributed towards putting Malta on the high ground in this regard.

The ministry commented on the fact that the report was not based on statistics but on surveys.