Prime Minister Robert Abela said Enemalta has been instructed to "significantly accelerate" works to strengthen the electricity distribution system, while describing the recent power outages experienced across Malta as "inexcusable."

Speaking in an interview on party media on Sunday, he said the government had taken the decision in 2023 to invest in the electricity distribution system but acknowledged that the outages experienced in recent days were unacceptable.

Abela said rising temperatures linked to climate change were no longer exceptional but had become "the new normal", leading to increased electricity demand.

He also said Malta's digitalisation efforts had contributed to higher electricity consumption, making further investment in the distribution network necessary.

He said ongoing infrastructure works needed to be accelerated, warning that extreme temperatures currently affecting countries such as Libya could reach Malta in the future.

"Our answer to this problem must be investment," he said, adding that the government was addressing infrastructure shortcomings that had accumulated over decades.

"In the next months we will do all that we can to make sure that this episode does not repeat itself," he added.

Abela also branded the Nationalist Party as being "anti-equality" after Opposition MPs walked out of Parliament to block the Bill looking to establish a National Commission for Human Rights and Equality from being voted through.

Abela said the government had delivered on its promise to introduce the Personal Autonomy Act and legislation providing additional protection for vulnerable adults, describing both as long-awaited reforms requested by the disability sector.

He said he strongly believed in personal autonomy, arguing that individuals should be empowered to make their own decisions wherever possible, while the second law was intended to provide greater safeguards for vulnerable adults.

Abela also highlighted a constitutional amendment prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities, criticising the Opposition's decision to leave the chamber during the debate.

"I was pleased that the Leader of the Opposition at least admitted he comes from a conservative party," Abela said. "That is the reality. It is a party that is anti-equality."

Turning to the shooting of a police officer in St Julian's, Abela described the incident as one that had "shocked the nation."

He said he was in the middle of a meeting when news of the shooting broke and immediately contacted Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield. The Prime Minister added that the injured officer's condition was improving.

"The population is calling for justice to be served," he said, insisting that "justice cannot wait."

While stressing that the executive could not interfere in judicial proceedings, Abela pointed to reforms introduced by the government, including tougher penalties for assaults on police officers.

He also defended the introduction of on-the-spot fines, allowing offenders to pay penalties directly to police officers. Abela noted that tourists fined more than €200 could have their holidays ended early.

"Malta and Gozo are known for their hospitality, but that brings with it the obligation that tourists follow the laws of our country," he said, describing the measure as "a courageous reform."

The Prime Minister also expressed solidarity with police officers, particularly those injured in the line of duty, while highlighting improvements to officers' working conditions through salary increases and the rollout of body-worn cameras.

On international developments, Abela said Malta continued to feel the effects of global challenges, including rising diesel prices and wildfires in neighbouring countries.

He said islands such as Malta were among those most affected by climate change despite contributing the least to it, while pointing to the full electrification of Gozo's public bus fleet as an example of the government's environmental measures.

Abela also defended the government's subsidy policy, claiming that without it the prices of petrol, diesel and electricity would have skyrocketed.

He said the government was spending tens of millions of euros to shield households from international energy price fluctuations, adding that the consequences of abandoning subsidies were already evident in other countries.