Prime Minister Robert Abela once again defended Malta’s controversial cash-for-passports scheme on Sunday saying it had helped the country invest in the good of society.
Speaking during a radio interview on the Labour Party’s ONE Radio, Abela said the scheme had led to a number of projects being undertaken, incluidng a new palliative care complex that will be run by Hospice Malta.
The government, he said, invested €8 million from the Social Development Fund in a funding agreement for the centre.
Without the passports' programme, Abela said, this investment would not have been possible.
The EU has threatened legal action against Malta over the scheme arguing that European citizenship should not be sold.
Abela said that the scheme has led a number of "high-network" people to Malta to invest in the country.
Infrastructure
Abela also spoke on major projects, such as that at Marsa junction, saying these had changed the face of the island.
"We are on the forefront in infrastructure and it is important that such a sector changes and adapts to the needs of the island and the world," Abela said.
Referring to the second interconnector announced earlier in the week, the Prime Minister said it was ironic of the Nationalist Party to say that the government had copied its proposals.
Had it done so, electricity bills would have gone up and not down, with consumers paying half a billion euros in the process.
The PN's interconnector, Abela said, could only cater to 200 megawatts, reflecting lack of planning or confidence that Malta's economy would grow to its current size.
The interconnector project, he said, showed that the environment was one of his government's top priorities.
Another major environmental project was a €50 million shore-to-ship power infrastructure that will drastically cut harbour pollution.
Fundraising marathon
Abela also mentioned the Labour Party's fundraising marathon being held on Sunday and urged the people to donate to strengthen the party, which, he said, continued to work for the benefit of society.