The 13% growth of the Maltese economy that the Labour Party has announced for the second quarter of this year is an “insult to the intelligence of the Maltese people,” said Nationalist Party finance spokesperson Mario de Marco in a statement.

This being so since the Prime Minister Robert Abela is comparing the performance of the national economy between April and June 2021 with the same months as last year - months in which economic activity, except essential stores, was stagnant due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdown restrictions, said a PN statement.

In fact, Eurostat statistics show that the Maltese economy was the only one along with that of Croatia which actually shrank compared to the first quarter of the year, the statement said.

The PN argue that the Prime Minister is boasting this “economic growth” in order to cover up the incompetence of the Government which has pushed Malta towards a historic deficit of 1.6 billion euros − one of the highest in the EU.

“Abela’s incompetence will be paid for by Maltese and Gozitan families and business owners,” the statement read.

“A Nationalist Party does not compare growth to a year of crisis to look good. The opposition is committed to getting Malta off the grey list so that our country can return to the place that every Maltese really deserves,” concluded the statement.