Social and economic development plan for Gozo

The Ministry for Gozo has drawn up an economic and social development plan that proposes measures to foster the island's development between 2005 and 2010.

This was announced yesterday by Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo, as she met with the different stakeholders of the island's economic and social fields.

She said the plan has been commissioned in line with the government's objective to plan for the country's economic and social development for the next five years.

The minister presented a copy of the plan to representatives of the Gozo Business Chamber, the Gozo Tourism Association, the Crafts Council within the Gozo Business Chamber and the Association for Non-Governmental Organisations, for discussion.

The plan aims at giving an added value to resources on the island, to maximise their utilisation for the benefit of Gozo. Its strategic objectives include the mitigation of problems of peripherality and double insularity, the strengthening of the island's economy and the reduction of the social fragility of the Gozitan community. Through new concepts and concrete measures, the plan proposes means to meet these three strategic priorities.

All this should be carried out in light of an integral plan where the development of the island is based on economic efficiency, the island's distinctiveness as well as education and environment, in conformity with the government's national policy, she said.