Government departments have signed an agreement pledging to make it easier for investors to start a business in Malta. 

The agreement was signed at the end of public service week, which included various public fora allowing members of the public to meet and speak with civil servants about the public sector's services. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that "drastic" action was necessary to loosen bureaucratic red tape. He noted how Malta consistently ranked poorly on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index, and argued that needless delays were holding the local economy back.  

Malta ranked 80th out of 189 countries in the 2016 Ease of Doing Business report, a pitiful 132nd when it came to starting a business and 174th when it comes to a business obtaining credit. 

Dr Muscat said that some measures to reduce bureaucracy had already been introduced. He highlighted the creation of regional one-stop shops, the introduction of mystery shoppers to evaluate government department services and plans to introduce mobile apps for government services next year.