The Nationalist Party has criticised the government for failing to address Malta's growing quality of life concerns in its latest Budget, describing it as lacking vision and a clear direction for the country. 

Speaking at a press conference, Shadow Minister for the Self-Employed, Small Enterprises and Cooperatives Michael Piccinino, Shadow Minister for Youth, Wellbeing and Implementation of the Electoral Programme Eve Borg Bonello, and PN Spokesperson for Quality of Life Ian Vassallo said the Budget failed to address Malta's underlying challenges.

The PN said that, just months after the Labour Party promised to tackle the country's problems, the government had presented a Budget that offered no new direction.

The party also accused the government of shifting the financial burden of its own mistakes onto businesses that had invested their money and time responsibly and taken risks.

Addressing measures concerning foreign workers, the PN spokespersons questioned the government's objectives, arguing that ministers' failure to explain the reasoning behind the measures suggested that no studies had been carried out before they were announced.

The party also expressed concern over the absence of a clear plan to improve the Wellbeing Index, which it said had featured prominently in the run-up to the election. Labour had pledged to increase the index by 25%.

According to the PN, wellbeing should not be measured in financial terms alone, but through factors such as mental health, properly functioning public services and infrastructure that meets people's needs.

The spokespersons argued that the Budget offered no reassurance that the government was taking meaningful action to tackle issues affecting quality of life, including traffic-related stress, a shortage of affordable housing, limited family time, environmental concerns and a lack of open spaces.

They also highlighted shortcomings in health and education services as areas requiring greater attention.

The PN called on the government to provide a clearer explanation of the objectives behind its announced measures, the targets it intends to achieve and the studies supporting its decisions.

The party said that, without these explanations, the Budget failed to provide the vision and direction needed to address the country's challenges.