Prime Minister Robert Abela believes that Malta is on the road to satisfy all the Moneyval requirements, he said on Sunday.

Abela was being interviewed on ONE radio.

"We implemented the changes put forward by Moneyval and I remind everyone that for years since 2012, Moneyval was proposing changes and reforms that needed to take place in our country and we were the government that implemented what was requested. Today, I believe we are on the road to satisfy all Moneyval asked of us so that in a few months time we would have the result we want."

In September 2019, Moneyval, the European branch of the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, ruled that Malta remains highly exposed to illicit finance but lacks the resources and infrastructure required to prosecute and seize assets from money launderers and the criminals they serve. Malta had until this October 2019 to implement Moneyval's 58 recommendations for bolstering its campaign against financial crime to avoid inclusion on the group's "grey list" of high-risk jurisdictions. Being placed on the grey list would be a death knell for Malta's financial services industry especially. The outcome of Moneyval's evaluation of Malta is expected to be known in the first half of 2021.

The Prime Minister said that, aside from Covid-19, 2020 will also be marked down for the changes made, such as the change in the Prime Minister, stabilising the country, the appointment of a new and youthful Cabinet, among others.

He spoke of the change to the way Police Commissioners are appointed, as well as Chief Justices. He also spoke about having a new State Advocate and Attorney General.

He said that when Covid-19 hit the island it increased the pressure on government. "The pandemic paralysed the world. We didn't stay moaning about it and we always sent a positive message of hope and courage. This was shown even through the measures we introduced." He said that in March businesses were scared, especially when the airport closed. He said that the government began introducing incentives to keep the people feeling courageous.

During the pandemic there was also pressure coming from migration, he added. "In January and February we had record arrival numbers," he said, adding that the government said that the country was not ready to accept an disproportionate weight of the migration situation.

He said that the reaction to the government's handling of the issue was that some tried to throw a number of army officials into jail.

Turning to the police, he said that nobody is now saying that the Police Force is not working.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the recent injection of funds to support bar and club owners. Bars and clubs are currently closed as part of the Covid-19 restrictions. "On 31 December we saw that a number of bar and club owners were struggling and we decided to allocate an additional million euros to them to help them face pressures."

Turning to the vaccine, he said that the government is working on vaccinating everyone,  adding that it is crucial to vaccinate as many as people, in order to see the country back to business as usual by May.

He turned to the financial support provided to businesses throughout 2020. After March, three financial packages were introduced, which included the wage supplement and the voucher scheme, he said. After June, unemployment starting reducing until it went lower than what it was in March, he added.

He said that instead of introducing austerity measures in the national budget, the government did things differently, opting to carry the weight of the measures that were implemented itself, rather than making the people carry it.

Abela spoke highly of the health authorities and their work throughout the pandemic. "We dedicated a lot of resources and invested what we could." He said they protected lives and "together we showed how we kept a balance between protecting lives and livelihoods."

The results achieved over the last year when faced with the virus were thanks to the people, as when we asked everyone to make a sacrifice, they did."

"Society should be proud of the results we have achieved. "There were moments when we were frustrated, such as when we saw that there was no tourism, when we had to close schools, restaurants. But we carried responsibility and when we had to take the important decision to reopen schools for example, we did. The people in general were united behind these decisions."

He said that there were teething problems, but the people understood that the decisions taken were in the interest of the country.

On civil rights, he spoke about the amendments to the divorce law. He said that the past condition that one had to wait four years to get a divorce after separating did not make sense, and so "we worked to change this."

 He said government wants to see the new mechanism by the next election introduced in order to ensure more female participation in parliament and in the leadership of the country.

As for unity, he said it is crucial. "You can never have a split party that aspires to lead a country," he said, in what was a clear jibe at the PN.

Mentioning the next general election, the Prime Minister said that when it comes down to it, the people will base their votes on which party showed that it was capable of running the country during a difficult period, and not on who attacks the other side more.

The government has a lot of work ahead in the first six months of 2021, Abela said. "We are focused on where we want to go and as a people we need to be focused so that by May the country can run forward. I am not satisfied to just say that we will go back to the same situation prior to the pandemic. i want to climb another step. By May must have an economy that has recovered, but an economy that is back to normal and a country with strong institutions and strong governance, with a police force and army working well, as I believe a country should be." 

"I believe 2021 will be one of the best years our country has ever had."