Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening he was somewhat angry at institutions such as Frontex which said that hundreds of thousands of people would be crossing the Mediterranean.
“I was expecting Frontex to instead say what it would be doing... Yes there is a problem of migration towards Europe. However, last year and so far this year, we had the least number of arrivals... We should not alarm people,” he said.
The problem, Dr Muscat said, was not solved by European institutions issuing alarming statements, but by saying what they would be doing in practice.
The Prime Minister was asked whether the Maltese should be concerned about the ongoing conflict in Libya. He said the Maltese could put their mind at rest that if a problem arose, the government would say so.
Dr Muscat was speaking in Dingli in the presence of, among others, former Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, who was forced to step down after the shooting incident involving his driver. Dr Mallia sat in the front row and was congratulated by Dr Muscat for his work to give union rights to disciplined forces.
Speaking on health, he said the hospital today was smaller than that of 20 years ago even though more beds were needed as people were living longer.
“We will be taking decisions to increase hospital space so that more people would be catered for and treated with dignity.”
The Prime Minister spoke on fuel prices saying petrol was now 6c and diesel 1c cheaper than the European average. And the Maltese knew prices would not be increased as they were fixed.
Replying to questions on energy, the Prime Minister said the Marsa Power Station, which was switched off last Monday, was being kept on cold standby and could be used again if needed.
The interconnector, he said, would officially start working in the coming weeks. However, it was more feasible at the moment for Malta to produce its own energy.
On the drug reform he said the government had opted for the road of common sense and took a courageous decision that was long overdue with conviction.