Prime Minister Joseph Muscat ended his political activity duties of the year this morning with a speech in Mgarr, during which he struck a cheery tone on the government’s achievements throughout the year.

“I would need two hours to go over everything we’ve done this year, but here are just a few of them,” Muscat said. “These achievements, coupled with the fact that we increased our vote share in June’s election, gives me the courage I need to continue getting Malta set and ready for the net generation.”

These are the governments major achievements of the year, according to Joseph Muscat

1. Malta’s EU Presidency debut

Malta took over the reins of the EU’s rotating presidency for the first time between January and June this year – a turbulent period for the EU due to Brexit and fears of an election victory in France for the nativist Front National. 

Yet Malta didn’t buckle under the pressure and its presidency was widely praised – with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker saying the island had proven its ability to see major deals through and EU Council President Donald Tusk describing the Maltese presidency as one of the best experiences in his professional life.

2. Minimum wage increase

Following an agreement by social partners, the government agreed to increase the minimum wage by €8 a week for workers who remain in the same job for two years – amounting to a €416 annual salary increase. It was the first time Malta’s minimum wage had been increased in 40 years.

3. Pension increases

State pensions were increased for the third successive year, with every Maltese pensioner (some 90,000 in total) benefitting from a pension rise of €2 a week – a budget measure that cost the public purse a whopping €9 million a year.

4. Free cancer medication

Back in March, the health minister announced that all cancer medication will be available free of charge for patients within the next three years. Since then, several medications have been added to the government’s formulary list – including drugs to treat leukaemia as well as prostrate, breast, pancreas, liver and cervical cancer.

5. More tablets for schoolchildren

The government continued rolling out tablets to schoolchildren this year, and around 6,000 kids are now estimated to have access to a tablet – a move designed to help children engage in their own learning process.

6. Crane Currency’s new Hal Far plant 

Crane Currency, the world’s predominant supplier of paper for US dollars, agreed to set up a new printing facility in Hal Far. The facility, which costs around €100 million, is expected to employ some 300 people.

7. New tourism records

Tourism figures continued to increase in 2017, reaching an estimated record of 2.3 million tourists – over four times the national population. 

8. Vacation leave for IVF treatment 

As of this year, people undergoing IVF treatment – whether in Malta or abroad – are allowed to benefit from 100 hours of vacation leave.  

9. Surplus continues rising

Malta’s current account surplus continued to increase, with the latest statistics showing it reached €443 million in the third quarter of the year, a €100 million increase from last year. 

10. Unemployment continues falling

Unemployment figures continued falling to 3.5% of the population in October, which means Malta has now leapfrogged Germany to second place – behind only the Czech Republic – in the EU’s unemployment charts.

11. Malta’s credit rating continues improving  

International credit rating agencies once again gave a clean bill of health to the Maltese economy. Fitch and Creditreform Rating AG now have the economy rated at A+, while Moody’s and Standard & Poors have it rated at A-.   

12. Poverty levels drop

National statistics show that some 19,000 people were at risk of poverty in 2016 – a sharp drop from the 39,000 people registered as such in 2013.

13. More homes for people with disabilities 

Bjorn Formosa and Joseph Muscat at the launch of Dar Bjorn 

More community homes for people with disabilities opened their doors this year, the latest of which was a home in Marsa. ALS sufferer and campaigner Bjorn Formosa also opened Dar Bjorn in Qormi for ALS sufferers, with the government agreeing to foot the bill for staff salaries and medical equipment. 

14. Better sports facilities

Malta’s sports facilities look set for an upgrade – including the construction of an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool at the Cottonera sports complex and a smaller pool at the Gozo sports centre, as well as the construction of a brand new sports complex in Qawra. 

15. Gay marriage has arrived

Malta became the 25th country in the world to legalise gay marriage last July, continuing a trend of pro-LGBT policies by Joseph Muscat. 

16. Votes for 16 year olds 

Following a trial period in the last local council elections, the government has pledged to reduce the national voting age to 16 for all elections.

17. End of the road for Marsa power station

The last two of the Marsa power station’s five chimneys were demolished earlier this month and the entire site will be completely cleared by the start of next year. Enemalta has also started dismantling the last remaining HFO-fired power plant and chimney at the Deimara power station.

18. Tax cuts across the board

The government has started implementing its major pre-electoral taxation promises – namely tax refunds for people earning less than €60,000, less income tax for part-time and self-employed workers, and tax benefits for Master’s and PhD graduates. 

19. iGaming industry continues to grow

As more iGaming companies continue to set up shop in Malta, the sector contributed €556 million to the economy this year – up by 10% from last year. The European Gaming Institute of Malta was also launched at Smart City, while gaming companies will soon be allowed to accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment.

20. Higher rent subsidies for low-income earners

As an attempted counter-balance to Malta’s booming rent prices, the government doubled the monthly rent subsidy for low-income earners living in private properties – from €83 to €166. The means test to assess who qualifies for rent subsidy was also revised, rendering some 1,500 more people eligible for it.

21. Kappara flyover nearing completion

The finishing touches are now being applied on the major flyover project at the Kappara junction, while work has now started on constructing a similar flyover at the Marsa junction – another major traffic hotspot.

How do you assess the government’s performance in 2017? Let us know in the comments section 

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]