As it is not bound by any constraints the PN in government will bring about change, Grech says
Opposition leader Bernard Grech and Nationalist MPs meet with Malta Chamber ahead of Budget 2025
Since it is not bound by any constraints, the Nationalist Party in government will be able to bring about change, leader Bernard Grech told the Malta Chamber.
“We have the political will that others do not and can never have to provide businesses with the solutions to the problems they face today, primarily those related to competitiveness, traffic congestion, and governance,” he said.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech earlier this afternoon he led a PN delegation in a meeting with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise, and Industry.
Malta Chamber officials, led by President Chris Vassallo Cesareo and CEO Marthese Portelli, explained to the PN leader that many of the proposals presented in the Chamber's pre-Budget Document had already been put forward, but only 1.8% were adopted by the government.
In fact, of 219 proposals, only four were accepted in the 2024 Budget. The Chamber is reintroducing these proposals for this year's Budget in a document called “Time-up,” which identifies 12 areas that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
They explained the need for a budget based on more added-value and argued that the economic model based on population growth is not sustainable, emphasising the immediate need to address existing problems as quickly as possible.
Grech recalled that four years ago he proposed holding a national conference to analyse and address the challenge of population growth, but at the time, this proposal fell on deaf ears.
“Now, the government has announced a new policy to align migration with labour market needs, four years late,” he said.
Time can no longer be wasted, said Bernard Grech, adding that it is clear that businesses in Malta are feeling the burden of inaction in various sectors, but the Labour Government lacks the political will to address the problems they face.
The Opposition Leader was accompanied by PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione, Parliamentary Group Whip Robert Cutajar, and Shadow Ministers Jerome Caruana Cilia, Graham Bencini, Ivan Castillo, Ivan J. Bartolo, Rebekah Borg, and Claudette Buttigieg at the meeting.