President George Vella reaffirmed his worries about the threat of widespread construction in a message on Easter Sunday, while also discussing other topics such as the political situation in the country.

Addressing the nation on Easter Sunday, which also marked his second anniversary as the country's President, having been sworn in on 4 April 2019, the President spoke about the Covid-19 hardships, as well as national unity.

President Vella began by saying that he wished to have been delivering his message under better circumstances, but said that Covid-19 changed everyone's lives.

"These two years as President have been very busy, during which I faced many challenges. Undoubtedly the biggest challenge is the Covid-19 pandemic. "

He said that he has spoken many times about the impact of the virus on the Maltese, and on the devastation it has brought to our health, the economy and the social life of the country. "My message remains consistent. We must be responsible, stand in solidarity with one another and remain united without losing hope."

This is, now, more important than ever.

"At least we have a vaccine that can mitigate the spread"

He appealed to everyone to observe the regulations and guidelines issued by the health authorities, stressing that we all have a duty to protect the people around us, and not just ourselves.

He reaffirmed his worries about two ongoing issues. The first is irregular migration, he said, "which is not entirely up to us to solve. The other is the need for stricter controls on the protection of the environment around us, in particular the threat of widespread construction."

He also spoke about the political challenges Malta faces.

"During these two years the political challenges have not reduced, which required my intervention as the Constitution allows, and which led to the appointment of a new Prime Minister and new Opposition Leader. Those were delicate moments that required my prudence and thoroughness. Moments that also created impassioned discussions on a national scale on what the powers of the Presidency can and should be." He described it as a very trying period.

"It was a direct effect of the repercussions of the heinous murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia on the legal and constitutional structures of the country. We had resignations from the highest positions. We had strong activism from civil society. We had the Venice Commission pushing for Constitutional reforms, including with regard to appointments of members of the judiciary and of the President to be under less influence from the Executive"

He said that the country has made significant strides in the fight against organised crime, homicides and money laundering.

President Vella also said that the Presidency received a record number of presidential pardon requests during this period.

He said that the ongoing call that unites us is for more transparency, accountability and a better rule of law. "My appeal is to the political forces to realise the responsibility they bear and work together to offer the people a better future in the light of the lessons we must learn from everything we have gone through."

The President said that Constitutional reform is ongoing. "The public consultation process has clearly shown which aspects the people would like to see changed or maintained in the Constitution. This, in addition to the changes already made on the recommendation of the Venice Commission."

He said that until the circumstances change for the better, he is unable to give the impetus he wants to public meetings in the format of a convention, as it would involve bringing together a large number of people, which is not allowed by the health regulations currently.

He spoke of national unity. "The more I see divisions growing between us, the more I feel the need to appeal for national unity."

"The first step is to start talking to each other, with respect and without prejudice." He said that issues about governance, the rule of law, immigration, education and hate speech emerged with some prominence in a conference of national unity he hosted in February.  The President will continue to give the goal of national unity a "concrete form," through other initiatives in the coming months. In June, there will be a conference on the State of the Nation, he said.

He spoke about how the nature of his work had to change due to the pandemic. He spoke of using technology to keep in touch with the people, and also held many virtual meetings with people and entities both in Malta and abroad.

He said that his wish over the last months was to, as far as he can, make sure that the Presidency keeps contact with the broadest possible range of society.

He also mentioned that the country is still waiting to hear when the visit by the Pope will be reannounced.

The President mentioned the frontliners who, with great effort and sacrifice, are mitigating the impact of the pandemic on people's health and lives, thanking them for their work.

He also thanked the public for their support of the Malta Community Chest Fund.

He, together with his wife, wished everyone a happy Easter.