Malta last Saturday celebrated what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi described as the start of a new journey – the transition from the Maltese lira to the euro – in the presence of several European prime ministers, top bankers and representatives of the European Commission led by President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.
The activities culminated in a concert held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Maestro Michael Laus, with the participation of tenor Joseph Calleja and soprano Miriam Gauci.
Earlier in the day, President Eddie Fenech Adami hosted an official luncheon while Prime Minister Gonzi held several bilateral meetings with the foreign dignitaries who came over specifically for the occasion.
Present for the activities were Italy Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico. Also in Malta was the head of the European Central Bank, Jean Claude Trichet and European Parliament vice-president Mario Mauro. All these, together with Mr Barroso, delivered short addresses at the end of the concert.
In his address, Prime Minister Gonzi said that “during these last three years a major recovery in our economy was brought about. In spite of thousands of jobs lost to globalisation, a significant reduction in unemployment was registered. We have met the rigorous eurozone criteria while investing like never before in education and the environment.
“We are celebrating today a nation that is not afraid to be ambitious in what it sets to achieve. We are celebrating today a people that believes in its ability to succeed,” Dr Gonzi said.
“We are celebrating a country that is now in a much better position to attract investment, to sustain economic growth, to create more and better jobs, to invest in research and innovation, to sustain and improve our health and social services, to address major environmental challenges, to protect and to take care of our rich heritage, and to secure an education for all our children to succeed.
“It does not, however, mark the end of economic challenges and the economic integration processes into the rest of the euro area and the European Union. Like other countries, we are also continuously being assailed by intense international competitive pressures and the economic and financial turmoil resulting from increasing commodity prices and the turbulence in the financial markets. Nonetheless, and despite these adverse conditions and difficulties, we look ahead.
“We are outlining an ambitious vision and strategy for our country that builds on excellence in a number of clearly identifiable sectors where we feel we have a comparative advantage.
“Within this perspective, my government will continue to fulfil all the conditions of our commitments to membership of the eurozone,” Dr Gonzi said.
Speeches were also delivered by the Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Tonio Fenech, and the governor of the Central Bank of Malta, Michael C. Bonello.