The view continues to prevail that all by itself as a new project, a hotel cannot survive. It needs to have in association as an ancillary project the building of apartments and offices. Profits made from their sale would then justify the hotel. Exceptions to this way of seeing things... at least till the Covid 19 pandemic struck – were boutique hotels.
I still consider it is a mistake to accept hotel projects that are designed on a dual track. In my view, they have fuelled speculation and shady developments in the real estate sector. True, it is said that without having part of a hotel project set apart for other uses, no new hotel project can be launched for it would not be economically viable. The argument seems to contradict the strategy we have followed for long years, to link economic development and tourism.
In any case however, if what is being claimed is correct, the government could by tax exemptions, financial assistance and other subsidies that would be applicable to all new hotel projects, ensure that projects to build hotels on a stand alone basis, become profitable.
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AGRICULTURAL LAND
On the one hand, there is land that is suitable for farming while being unused – because it is divided into too many family holdings, because whoever owns it has lost faith in the future of farming, because it is too dry and irrigating it too expensive. Then there is agricultural land that is being reclaimed and taken over by owners who are not farmers. Meanwhile, other land is being subtracted from the farming total because it is required for roads or some other infrastructural facility.
It is high time that a single clear and comprehensive policy is set regarding land for agriculture. Agreed that the sector has shrunk to a very small part of the Maltese economy. EU membership contributed a lot to this state of affairs. Other factors also came into play to accelerate the decline.
Still, we need to see a clear and effective consolidation of the land that will really be allocated to farming.
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A MECHANISM FOR THE RULE OF LAW
Expect fireworks over how accusations concerning infringements of the rule of law within the EU are going to be dealt with. The perspectives of member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament differ when it comes to making this concept operational in a way that will lead to sanctions being adopted against any breach by governments of the rule of law.
Except in extreme cases, member states are by and large reluctant to have frequent resort to rule of law procedures. The European Commission is much more in favour of them but would want their use, so it says, mainly to serve as an instrument of last resort when all other measures have been unsuccessful. A substantial part... I would think a majority... of the European Parliament insists that acts which allegedly infringe the rule of law should be dealt with as a matter of priority and all necessary action should be taken expeditiously.
Chances are that the political game of tit for tat which has been played in recent years on this topic will gather momentum in the coming months.