Prime Minister Robert Abela promised more reforms to the IVF process and to how planning appeals are handled within the first 100 days of the new legislature.
Speaking in a telephone interview on party media on Sunday, Abela said that the Labour Party was elected to government with the “most ambitious and positive manifesto in Malta’s history” and must now work to transfer the ideas “from proposals to achievements.”
He spoke first of more reforms to the IVF process. A reform in 2022 opened the possibility of Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic Disorders (PGT-M) for nine conditions, and the next reform will expand the list of serious health conditions that it covers by 16, taking the total up to 25.
“The right to be a parent is indeed that: a right. Every couple should have the opportunity to use all technological and scientific means possible to improve their changes of becoming a parent, and the State has an obligation to provide that,” Abela said.
He said that reforms to this end would come within the first 100 days of the legislature.
Another reform, he said, will be to how planning appeals are handled. He said that within the same first 100 days, the government will table a law that will mean that construction will not be allowed to begin while the decision on a development’s approval is under appeal.
Abela said that the law would include “strict terms” within which the appeal must be decided so that there are no unnecessary delays for both the objectors and the developer.
The PL government had tried already tried to make this reform, but had packaged it with a host of other planning reforms that activists described as a “developer’s wishlist”. Public pressure meant that the law ended up going back to the drawing board for public consultation.
Equality is another area where the PL would not shy away from reforms, Abela said. “Even if a reform affects one person, it is our duty to do it,” he said. “When speaking about equality, we are speaking about one of the key pillars that the PL movement is built upon,” he added.
Abela contrasted this with the Nationalist Party and how its MPs had acted. He was ostensibly referring to comments made by new PN MP Conrad Borg Manche who said that he did not see why young children should be exposed to drag performances or pride marches and that LGBTIQ pride events did not advance equality but rather showed “how unequal” the community was.
The remarks attracted criticism from LGBTIQ community figures and government MPs and officials.
“Cosmetically, they try to show you that they have changed – but they haven’t: they’ve actually gone a step backwards,” he said. The PL is doing the opposite, he added.
He also made a pointed remark at the PN, saying that the party had not even appointed its Shadow Cabinet yet, while his own Cabinet was not only appointed, but was already making important decisions such as protecting Wied iz-Zring in Bulebel from development.
Abela also announced news that the government had reached an agreement for global energy giant BP to supply Malta with LNG until the end of May 2027.
Speaking about a summit of European leaders in Brussels that he attended this past week, Abela said that he had put forward arguments on the EU’s upcoming budget to cater till 2034, and said that his points on Malta’s high co-financing rates had been well received.
“My job is, since the people have given us this strong mandate, to implement,” he said
He said that the upcoming Labour Party General Conference will offer a strategic sign of where the party wants to take the country, adding that he is “very happy in these first few weeks” and that he gives his word “that we will keep this rhythm going.”