President George Vella said Saturday that the government’s emphasis over the next five years will be the environment.

Addressing MPs during a ceremony marking the start of the legislature, Vella highlighted the aims of the government for the next five years, saying that a beginning always brings with it fresh air, enthusiasm, new energy, and dreams to come.

The speech was written by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Vella said that after previous administrations had focused on the infrastructure, attention now needs to move on to the environment.

Vella added that “we need to be innovative when it comes to having new public and open spaces in urban areas, and we need to plan more with a view to safeguarding the unique characteristics of the villages and our cities - an important part of our identity and face of our nation.”

He also said that transportation is also a matter that will be dealt with so as to reduce the negative effects of transport. This would also play a role in fighting against climate change.

“We must get rid of the idea that ​​environmental investment has no economic return, and despite the governments’ efforts to improve Malta’s environment, the culture also needs to change,” Vella said.

“It is clear that the public is and must remain optimistic as it believes in the bright future of this country and it will allow nothing to discourage him nor give up,” Vella said.

In his speech, Vella said that although a new parliamentary term is opening to achieve more success in a number of sectors, one must not forget that this country had to also go through very challenging periods, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vella highlighted that historically, Malta always seems to have the ability to turn challenges into opportunities, saying that this work needs to continue for the years to come.

Speaking about the pandemic, Vella noted that this country is moving towards complete normalcy with the almost complete removal of restrictions, giving a breath of fresh air to many.

“This does not mean that we should stop caring about our health and of those who are considered vulnerable. Whilst the authorities will continue providing everything that is needed to safeguard the public, we must be responsible in the individual decisions that we make for ourselves,” Vella said.

‘Malta needs to send clear signal that what is happening in Ukraine is unacceptable’

Vella also spoke about the pressures that exists due to the war in Ukraine.

“We must first reaffirm that as human beings we cannot condemn such acts. In its first meeting after the general election, the highest institution of Malta must send a strong signal that what is being done is not acceptable, but rather, that it is reprehensible and should be put to a stop immediately. The only acceptable way of going about such matters is through dialogue,” Vella said.

He said that although Malta is neutral, neutrality does not mean that one must shy away from the injustices and deeds that are completely unacceptable and should be looked down upon.

Vella said that apart from the sanctions which have already been implemented and agreed in EU fora, Malta will continue providing humanitarian aid to help the Ukrainian community.

“We who are so far away also feel the effects of this war, and the local pressures are primarily those related to economic effects,” Vella said.

He praised Malta’s economy as it is strongly recovering from the effects brought by the pandemic. However, he urged that one must never lose sight of the effective management of our economy, despite what is happening around the world.

The Ukraine-Russia war is leading to a challenge related to the prices of essential things such as energy, food and freight.

“The government is not only aware of these challenges but it’s on the move with ongoing discussions and actions aimed at dealing with the impact on the Maltese and Gozitan people. As it did during the pandemic, the government will ensure that people and businesses are supported,” Vella said.

Vella praised the changes that Malta has faced, and said that income tax will be a top priority. This will continue to decline; refund cheques will be improved, and the amount of taxable income will be reduced.

“These changes will be beneficial for those people with the lowest income,” Vella said.

In the various initiatives that will be taken to generate more economic activity, we will see that the incentives given to businesses in Gozo are 10% higher. This will be done while facilitating access to banking services as well as for funding, Vella said.

“We will also continue strengthening Malta’s standards so that after the positive Moneyval report, we will continue working on implementing the recommendations agreed upon with the Financial Action Task Force, which has already taken note of the positive progress that Malta has made.

We also need to work on strengthening Malta’s credibility so as to also improve the important role that we have within the international fora,” Vella said.

Considering our geographical position in the Mediterranean, Vella said that Malta needs to continue serving as a source of dialogue and promoter of peace.

“Above all, as a member state of the EU, we will remain proactive in shaping European policy and legislation in the various areas of competence of the same Union. This will be done to positively influence this process with the hopes that decisions made consider the realities of a country, such as Malta,” Vella said.

The great improvements that have been made in the areas of governance in the last two years, even thanks to the reforms approved by two-thirds of this House, must now become part of our culture, Vella said. 

he added that “we have increased and will continue to increase reforms, but as in other sectors, we want the justice system and its employers to be more understanding of the realities of those in front of them. Justice is blind, but it must be sensible and sensitive to the realities that are developing within society.

Vella noted that the substantial package of EU funds that Malta managed to acquire, needs to be used in the best possible way to accomplish changes which are essential. This includes both the digital core and the decarbonisation of Malta’s economy.

Speaking about Gozo, Vella said that 10% of all EU funds will be guaranteed to Gozo as it will be the place where the most ambitious environment projects will come to life.

“We aim for this island to become climate neutral, and we are committed to maintaining economic growth in Gozo, greater than that of Malta,” Vella said.

He highlighted that this legislature would work on improving digitalisation and bringing about digital transformations.

This will be done by investing in more human resources, strengthening the digital structures and protecting digital information.

“This is not to say that we will ignore traditional areas in our work,” Vella said.

Speaking about the tourism sector, Vella said that “we must rediscover the success we have had in recent years. However, we need to think of new methods, to regenerate the sector again. As the strategy itself says: Recover. Rethink. Revitalize.

The country’s work in this area will be based on principles of quality, sustainability, tourism experience, efficiency in connectivity, housing development management, human resource, branding, digitalisation and, significantly, the inclusion of Gozo as a distinct destination. This is also supported by improved connectivity between the two islands.

Public discussion focusing on the quality of life of residents living in Malta and Gozo will also be considered and reflected in the work done by the government in this legislature.

Vella said that the time has arrived that on top of statistics, Malta has to have indicators on people’s quality of life and that this measurement would be another key consideration in any project or initiative of the public administration and government.

Vella went on to highlight the many priorities that the government will work on during this legislature. These include, promoting consumption of local agricultural and fishing produce, ensuring children’s access to extra-curricular activities, increasing paternity leave from two to 10 days, in cases where relatives are ill, a five-day carers’ leave should be introduced, allocating funds and incentives for the culture sector, and lastly, reforming the IVF legislation.