Gozo Shadow Minister Alex Borg has reacted to the 2025 National Budget, saying that while it includes a lot of measures that benefit people in the short term, it lacks a sustainable vision, especially for Gozo.

Lovin Malta’s Ana Tortell sat with Borg and he gave his candid opinion on what was presented earlier this month, warning that if the government doesn’t start seriously investing in a number of essential sectors within Gozo – like health, education and business – the island will become “a retirement home”.

One of Borg’s main criticisms is that the final budget document excluded a lot of measures proposed by Gozitan social partners during pre-budget meetings. He provided several examples of measures that could have been implemented spanning across numerous sectors.

However, when asked which sector is in most desperate need of a major investment, decisively said “health”.

Borg went on to point out contradictions between Finance Minister Clyde Caruana’s budget and Health Minister Jo-Etienne Abela’s promises related to a new General Hospital in Gozo.

He explained that the decrease in capital expenditure on the Gozo General Hospital as outlined in the recently unveiled budget suggests that finishing the first phase of the new hospital within the first three months of 2025 – as Abela stated – seems unlikely. In addition to this, he pointed out that no permits for this project have been issued and that the government is yet to issue a call for applicants for a tender.

“I don’t know how possible it is for all of this to be executed within the next five months.”

What was your take on the 2025 Budget?