Opposition leader Joseph Muscat, UHM president Gaetano Tanti and F.O.R.U.M president John Bencini all sounded confident in New Year messages that the country will emerge out of the dire economic recession and enjoy a more prosperous decade.

Dr Muscat said that the new decade will definitely bring with it a number of important challenges which will leave a major effect on the lives of future generations.

According to Dr Muscat, the decade for us will reach its peak in 2017, the year when Malta will host the presidency of the European Union. In order to make sure that it does so successfully, the country must prepare well in advance to make sure that it does itself and its people proud.

While other countries in the world will continue to prosper, Dr Muscat said that the Labour Party will continue to put pressure on the government to make sure that Malta is not lagging. Moreover, the beginning of the decade should finally see the country emerging out of an economic recession, which will lead to greater investment and an increase in job opportunities.

Safeguarding both the environment and employment, making sure that Gozo continues to prosper, investing in educational services and enhancing medical care are some sectors of the economy which should be tackled in the early years of the new decade, added Dr Muscat.

John Bencini, president of F.O.R.U.M., a grouping of several trade unions, lamented the fact that according to the latest statistics, November saw an increase of 988 persons on unemployment benefit when compared to the same statistics this time last year. The current employment figure stands at 7,588.

According to Mr Bencini, to blame the increase on an economic recession is not enough. To make matters worse, the government has just introduced higher electricity and water tariffs, which will further put a strain on businesses. Such increases will effectively mean that bills for businesses may increase by up to four per cent, which would result in businesses having no option but to reduce their working force, leading to a further increase in unemployment.

One of the measures the government must take to ease such difficult circumstances is to make sure it liaises with the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) in order to protect jobs.

The same thoughts were echoed by UHM president Gaetano Tanti, who said that Malta will endure a turbulent start to 2010, as it took longer for the economic recession to affect the island and emerging out of the recession will consequently be delayed.

The UHM will work hard, said Mr Tanti, to make sure that all initiatives introduced in Budget 2010 are put into practice, while the government must enforce its regulations with regard to tax payments, since there is still a number of persons who are being exempt from paying tax. Another problem which needs addressing with immediacy, said Mr Tanti, is medicine price inconsistencies. It is not fair that in some cases the Maltese have to pay more than twice the amount for the same product on sale in other European countries. Such abuses need to be eradicated once and for all, concluded Mr Tanti.