Now that we are well into the New Year and all the niceties of the festive season are over, we are once again faced with the stark realities of life. These demand of us continuous attention and hard work. On a political level they challenge us to determine which of them must be put on the political agenda because they need to be addressed in the immediate future.

Pensions

During this year’s budget speech, the Prime Minister tabled the report regarding the restructuring of the pensions system in Malta. The document was the result of hundreds of hours of preparation and consultations, as well as an analysis of the realities that the country must face, if it really wants to have a sustainable pensions system that will prove to be viable for the next 50 years or so.

Unfortunately, it seems that the opposition would rather shelve the problem for the moment so that no one will point a finger at it. However, for those who stand up to be counted – in this case our government – we are ready to take the plunge and take decisions which are high on the agenda and which need to be concluded in a very short time. Needless to say, participation in this project (if one can so call it) has been substantial and widespread.

In the various fora that have discussed this matter, there have been various constructive suggestions but at the end of the day we have to be careful that the final decision is one which is acceptable to the workers, the employers and those nearing their pension age, as well as those who consider this status still many moons away.

Workforce

Preparing our workforce for the ever-changing market situations and economic diversity is another top priority on our agenda which needs our continuous attention. The Denim episode and that of other factories, whose operators do not seem to be competitive any more due to the high labour costs being experienced here compared to other countries in north Africa and the Far East, are a stark reminder that long-standing viable economic businesses can very easily become non-feasible operations.

This calls for the ever-stressing situation to be kept in constant review. Notwithstanding the continuous efforts by the Employment and Training Corporation, the ministries involved and the Prime Minister, the road will always be an uphill struggle. And unless a substantial effort is made by one and all, in unison, we will experience similar casualties.

The only solution for the lesser prepared workers, who have worked as factory machine operators and labourers for many years without any of the definite skills that are in demand today, seems to be literally that of going back to the school benches and taking up courses which will eventually be supported by job offers as these arise. Lifelong learning is to become the requisite of the day and no effort is to be discarded or taken lightly. Many jobs that today may seem to be employment for life, may no longer be on the cards in a few years’ time.

In those areas where the required skills exist, be they technical, operational or the result of tertiary education, jobs are, by and large, available and the government’s efforts to have more operators require this type of employment seem to be producing results.

Finances

December finally saw the reaching of an agreement by the 25 heads of government in the European Union regarding financial perspectives for the years 2007-2013. Malta has been classified as an Objective One beneficiary and as such is to be a net beneficiary, receiving some e805 million. Preparation for those projects and agendas – which will enable us to upgrade not only our infrastructure but also environment-related matters and technical know-how which will eventually make us more competitive in order to be self-sustainable on the same basis as many of the 15 countries which have long benefited from the European Union membership – is in hand.

However, even here, an all-round effort is not only needed but demanded of all those involved in order for us to fully benefit from these funds. This is the only approach that guarantees success for our economy.

So far we have benefited from the Fifth Italian Financial Protocol, pre-accession funds and 2004-2006 EU budgetary measures and the results have already started to be seen and felt. However, in order to keep up the pace we must continuously persist in our efforts to obtain what we apply for, as this is the way forward for success.

The present government has a clear agenda – it will spare no effort or commitment to place Malta in the group of European states that is in line with the Lisbon Agenda – meaning making the island competitive. On the other hand, the government is also committed to guarantee the living standards that we have attained and that have meant so much work and effort in the past.

Tony Abela is Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister