Watch: ‘I’d Rather Face Malta’s Challenges Than France’s’ – Clyde Caruana
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that while Malta is facing its fair share of challenges, such as a declining birth rate, he would rather confront these than those currently faced by France.
Interviewed on Karl’s Podcast, Caruana referenced the political situation in France, where street protests have broken out over the government’s proposed budget cuts.
“France wants to reduce its deficit from 5.4% to 4.6% and it wants to skin people alive to reach this target,” he warned. “Meanwhile, Malta’s deficit this year will be close to 3%. France are still far away from this and they are facing all these problems and they’ve had three Prime Ministers in a year.”
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“It doesn’t mean everything is rosy in Malta, but I’d rather face our current challenges with the resources to address them than be backed into a corner with people rioting in the streets.”
In the interview, Caruana warned that the EU “isn’t the same Europe we joined 20 years ago” and bemoaned the lack of serious local political discussion about the direction the union is taking, including proposals to remove veto power in the European Council,
He said that European nations have grown hyper-focused on ramping up their defences to cope with a potential Russian invasion, even at the cost of social welfare cuts.
“I recently attended an informal ministerial meeting in Copenhagen and my Polish counterpart told me that they’re buying loads of tanks so that if the sun rises and they spot the Russians approaching, they will be able to meet them on the battlefield.”
He said his fear is that European citizens will end up revolting against governments that will become progressively weaker and more fragmented.
Besides France, he warned there is growing unrest in Germany and the UK, where Nigel Farage’s Reform Party is currently projected to win the next general election.
“At some point, the people will grow tired of constantly fastening their belts,” he said.
Credit: Karl’s Podcast
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