Businesses in Malta are recognising the importance of being innovative and creative in the face of stiffer competition and are therefore taking advantage of the opportunities coming their way, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

He was speaking after touring a number of shops in Mosta and speaking to shop owners about their business activities, as part of the PN's electoral campaign.

He said that in its last two budgets, and now even through its electoral proposals, the government had launched measures that give people more spending power and that as a result boost economic activity. This enabled owners to invest in their shops, their products, their service and possibly to employ more people.

Dr Gonzi spoke about the cheaper licences for businesses, one of the measures introduced by the government to ease the burden on businesses and reduce their expenses. Around 700 new licences are issued every year.

Under incessant rain, the Prime Minister visited several shops in Constitution Street, accompanied by a sizeable group of ministers, parliamentary secretaries, candidates and PN officials. The entourage was so large that some shops were not spacious enough to fit everyone. He even found the time for a quick espresso at the 5th Avenue coffee shop.

One of the shops he visited was that owned by Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo, where he joked that everyone could take whatever they liked for free.

Dr Gonzi said people wanted peace of mind and policies which created stability rather than the uncertainty being proposed by his adversaries. He said that, with the right policies, businesses could make the most of the opportunities coming their way and always find ways of improving their product and image in order to gain a competitive advantage.