Open spaces at the touch of a button

For the past three years, we have been working hard to regenerate existing spaces and create new ones. So far, my ministry and its entities have delivered 61 projects, with work underway on several more. But these projects are not boxes to be ticked off an implementation list. They are projects that connect us with citizens—projects that give families, youths, children, and the elderly the quiet space they yearn far away from the daily grind.

For the Nationalist Opposition, the promotion we are giving to these spaces is a waste of money. For us, it is the opposite and I will explain why.

Last week, we chose Wied Inċita for the launch of the ParksInMalta platform. As members of the press and other guests gathered around, many were positively impressed by how completely the area had changed. Wied Inċita tells a story of renewal. Until a year ago, it was a neglected stretch of land; today, families walk, children play, and trees have taken root where dirt and abandoned material once dominated. Soon, this site will grow further. Every metre returned to the public reflects a wider shift in how we value land and space in our country.

I am sure that whilst reading this, many of you might be asking yourself ‘where exactly is Wied Inċita?’ Or, if you know, perhaps wondering why you’ve never visited. This is where the new web app comes in. Parksinmalta.mt was created so that everyone can discover where our recreational spaces are located, including playgrounds because families with young children also need accessible, safe places to spend time outdoors.

The platform already features over 200 open spaces available to the public today. It also brings together the results of dozens of recent projects and assembles them in one accessible space. It allows citizens to see where investment in green areas is taking place, to plan visits, and to report issues directly. Behind this practical tool lies a broader idea: environmental policy must stand at the centre of governance, not at its edges.

Our commitment is to ensure that every community has access to a public open space within a short walk from home. This goal is ambitious for a densely populated island like ours, but ambition is no longer a choice. The pressures of density and climate demand it.

Malta’s environmental strategy must be bold, creative, and unafraid of reshaping old habits.

That means working closely with local councils, regional authorities, and the private sector. It means using public land wisely, regenerating what has been abandoned, and ensuring that every project serves the community that lives around it. Development without purpose deepens inequality; regeneration with vision strengthens our social fabric.

At Wied Inċita, I stood alongside the health minister because environmental policy and health policy can no longer be separated.

Our task as government is to make these open spaces permanent, protected, and valued.

Budget 2026 takes that task seriously. The environment now carries the largest capital vote ever allocated to this ministry: €275 million. Around the world, many governments are cutting back on sustainability investment because of economic uncertainty. We are doing the opposite. We are investing more because our economy is stronger, and because lasting prosperity depends on the choices we make today.

Economic growth that destroys its own natural base is not growth at all. Real progress strengthens both. Our challenge is to weave environmental planning into every policy area.

We are reaching a moment of national clarity: every decision about land, infrastructure, or energy is also a decision about health, community, and fairness—above all, about the future of our children. That is the standard we must live up to.