Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today pledged to fight bureaucracy and not defend it, during a meeting with the Malta Developers Association.

Dr Muscat said bureaucracy is at times confused with the need for accountability and transparency.

The need to reduce bureaucracy is a recurring theme in Cabinet meetings, Dr Muscat said, stating: “we should not try to justify it but challenge it.”

On the budget for 2016, Dr Muscat said that despite high rates of economic growth, the government will not slack and will continue solving certain structural problems.

The government is aiming for consistency in its budgets and will not fall into the usual five-year political cycle, which usually sees a harsh budget directly after an election, and a more favourable one prior to an election, the Prime Minister said.

Dr Muscat told the MDA that he believes the construction industry is vital for the economy, and spoke of initiatives to put dilapidated properties back on the market.

He recognised that many vacant dwellings are currently tied up in long legal battles. 

Photo by Jonathan Borg