Robert Abela sets 26 October as budget date

Prime Minister Robert Abela has confirmed that the 2027 Budget will be presented on 26 October.

Abela said the Budget would have to reflect international conditions, which he did not expect to improve in the coming weeks and months. But he insisted that the government would continue investing in its electoral manifesto and would not leave people or industry to carry the full burden of the crisis.

 "The best proof is what the finance minister will announce in the Budget," Abela said during a political event marking 100 days in governance. He also defended the government's economic record against what he described as opposition attempts to paint a narrative of "doom and gloom" about Malta's finances.

He said Malta had kept energy and fuel subsidies at their current level and would maintain them. Raising diesel prices, he argued, would increase costs for industry and workers and feed inflation.

Abela also referred to a pre-Budget discussion with the MHRA, saying the government was examining how to maintain fair competition between hotels and short-let operators. He said enforcement should also protect residents from commercial activity that disrupted residential communities.

The Prime Minister also linked the Budget to continued investment in education, health, security and infrastructure. He referred to a new primary school in Naxxar costing just under €22 million, the doubling of the emergency department from 35 to 70 cubicles and the construction of a 135-bed mental health hospital.

Abela said the Budget would have to balance caution with continued support for pensioners, young people, workers and investors. He said the government’s economic policy would reject austerity and aim to maintain confidence in Malta’s economy.

Abela also spoke about the Yorgen Fenech acquittal verdict, which said he had exchanged correspondence with the president of the European Commission and that both agreed the country should wait for the appeal judgement.

He said three judges, including the chief justice, would hear the appeal, and stressed that the courts had to be allowed to work independently.

This comes after MaltaToday had revealed that the prosecution in the jury trial of Yorgen Fenech over the masterminding of the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination will be appealing the verdict.

Sources said the Attorney General’s office will file the appeal within the 15-working-day window since the verdict, as allowed by law.

He warned that political interference in the courts, the Attorney General’s Office or the police would damage the administration of justice. He said he did not want to comment further while the appeal process was under way because political statements could affect the result.

Abela defended the government’s justice reforms, saying judicial appointments were now handled by a committee that included the chief justice, the Ombudsman, the Auditor General and members of the judiciary.

He said the appointment of the Attorney General had also been removed from the direct control of the government and placed in the hands of three retired judges. The police commissioner, he added, was appointed through a public call, a Public Service Commission process and parliamentary scrutiny.

Abela said further reforms were planned for the media sector, including stronger protection for journalists. He said the reform had already been drafted and had followed public consultation.