The Malta Developers Association is calling for expiring development permits to be automatically renewed, saying that this measure will lessen the need to import more foreign workers.

In a statement released on Tuesday, MDA argued that automatically extending a development permit when it is approaching its expiry would ensure that the construction work is carried out by a project’s existing workers, thereby “reducing the pressure for the importation of foreign workers”.

Malta’s development laws state that a development permit is granted for a maximum of five years. Once the five-year period is up, the developer needs to apply for the permit to be extended.

The MDA described it as “crucial” for development projects that are underway to be carried out “with care and without excessive haste”, saying that having permits be automatically renewed would reduce inconvenience to the public.

The association said that foreign workers are increasingly “essential” to the construction sector, saying that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find Maltese construction workers, despite developers paying “substantially above the minimum wage”.

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