I look back at the year that is about to end with deep satisfaction. In culture, the arts, and in matters relating to government-owned land, we have done a great deal of good.
It is not only I who says so, but many of the thousands of people who are directly involved in these sectors, and the thousands more who benefit indirectly. On the back of this considerable success, as the Minister responsible for these sectors, I look forward to an even more successful new year. I have, on various occasions, stated that the best is yet to come. I am certain that it will. While we are far from perfect and there are areas of improvement, our track record speaks for itself.
In culture and the arts, we have achieved a lot. One of the most significant achievements for me has been making culture and the arts accessible to all. We have referred to it as the democratization of these sectors, and in many ways it is. There was a time, not so long ago, when the arts were confined to spaces which were visited by artists and the immediate people within their social circles.
By 2025, we changed that - today, museums are accessible to all, and we have taken culture and the arts across Malta and Gozo. Chaired by former Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar (small aside: Mario has just published his memoirs/not exactly memoirs, which I highly recommend) Heritage Malta was a catalyst in this regard. Heritage Malta is blessed with employees who are passionate about Malta's history, culture, and heritage. They demonstrate this in the extraordinary work carried out by the entity.
Heritage Malta has made our historic sites, majestic palaces, buildings, and monuments accessible to all. It has democratized Malta's cultural heritage. As a result, the number of visitors today exceeds one million in a single year, ensuring that awareness of Malta's rich historical heritage is reaching an everwider audience. Heritage Malta's commitment remains that of continuing to spread this knowledge among even more Maltese citizens and tourists.
We ended this year on a high note: Valletta has now been enshrined in the Constitution as the Capital City of Malta. Valletta's heritage, architecture, and historical role merited the highest form of legal recognition. Our Constitution had no reference to Valletta at all, and the only city mentioned was Athens, because Malta signed its EU membership treaty there. It is peculiar that our Constitution mentions a foreign city but not our own capital. We have changed that now, and Valletta has taken its pride of place in Malta's supreme law.
In Parliament, I proudly described Valletta as the humblest capital in Europe, yet one with an incredible history, containing 320 monuments in just 55 hectares, one of the highest concentrations of historic sites in the world. Valletta has witnessed Malta evolve from a small community into a nation. In 2025, thanks to the Valletta Cultural Agency, led by Jason Micallef and his team, Valletta was a hive of cultural and artistic activity all year round.
Labour governments, since 2013, have transformed Valletta from the ghost town it was after 5 pm into a vibrant cultural, commercial, and residential hub. This happened because we invested many millions in our capital city and its infrastructure, in its cultural revitalisation, numerous restoration projects, and improved access, including the Labour government's decision to introduce free maritime transport for Maltese residents between Cottonera, Sliema, and Valletta, which brought the city back to life.
Valletta holds different meanings for different people: shop owners, carnival enthusiasts, families who have lived in the capital for generations, and others who associate it with childhood memories. It is the beating heart of Malta.
On the same day that Valletta's capital city status was enshrined in the Constitution, so was the 27th of December, enshrined as the day dedicated to our National Anthem, in commemoration of the very first time that the Maltese national anthem, l-Innu Malti, was played on 27 December 1922. The Maltese national anthem was famously written by Dun Karm Psaila and composed by Robert Sammut.
In London, at the Design Biennale, the leading event of its kind globally, Malta placed first. URNA, the Maltese project, by
Maltese designers, that reimagined cremation and memorialization, showcased Maltese creativity on a global stage. Next year, Malta will be at the prestigious Venice Art Biennale, and for the first time, at the South Korean Gwangju Art Biennale.
Arts Council Malta, the Commissioner of these major art events, under the auspices of my Ministry, has this year celebrated its tenth anniversary since its inception. It has been a decade of extraordinary success for the Council, first led by Albert Marshal, one of Malta's foremost poets, playwrights, and authors, and now by the young, energetic lawyer Luke Dalli. Arts Council Malta works tirelessly to place the local artist on the global stage. I am truly proud of this Council.
This year, we celebrated 100 years of the film servicing industry in Malta. This industry flourished significantly under successive Labour administrations, thanks to the leadership of Film Commissioner Johann Grech. Over the years, Malta had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, tough competition from neighbouring countries, people who doubted the Labour Government's vision in the sector, and, to top it all, an unprecedented pandemic that wreaked havoc on the global economy.
But we bounced back - as we always do, for resilience is in our bones. In just five years, our investment in the film industry generated one billion euros in the national economic chain. Since 2018, Malta has welcomed no less than 169 film productions, including Hollywood blockbusters, with a collective budget exceeding €635 million. The next step is the creation of a state-ofthe-art Sound Stage. A brighter future is around the bend for Malta's film servicing industry, and more jobs will be created.
Never has there been a government that invested so much in the feast traditions - more than €30 million to safeguard 14 band clubs, and feasts now also recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This all shows how much this government believes in our cultural heritage and the strength of the Maltese identity - and all this is possible because Malta has a strong and stable economy.
A few weeks ago, we inaugurated a monument to commemorate former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. It was a deeply personal moment for me. I had the extraordinary privilege of doing my law practice under his guidance. Karmenu was as passionately Socialist as he was sincerely Christian, and who loved Malta and Gozo with all his heart... perhaps he loved Gozo a little more.
Everything Karmenu did sprang from principle. Karmenu remained, until his last breath, the defender of the vulnerable. The friend of the worker. The lawyer of the weak. The voice of the voiceless. He was the politician who fought hard so that everyone could enjoy access to the same services, especially education. The least we could do, to honour this great gentleman was a monument in his honour.
I was assigned the lands portfolio midway through this year following the sterling work done by my friend and colleague Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi. Labour is committed to ensuring that government land is used for the benefit of Maltese and Gozitan families at large and as an important pillar in our economic vision.
A few days ago, I launched the Temp25+ scheme which applies to current or future properties which have a residential aim. Commercial reasons are completely excluded
The goal of this program is to help more Maltese and Gozitans become full owners of their homes by paying off, at a fair, just, and reasonable price, the ground rent on properties built on government land. Temp25+ will offer families certainty and peace of mind. This scheme is aimed at residents, families, and current or prospective property owners. Only Labour can guarantee peace of mind.
Yes, our track record speaks for itself, and the best is yet to come. Together, we shall make 2026 an even better year than the outgoing one.
I wish you, dear readers, a prosperous and healthy 2026.