10 years ago - The Sunday Times

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Burden-sharing deal possible next year

A pilot project putting into practice the burden-sharing agreement for immigration that the government has been fighting for could be in place next year, EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said yesterday. 

Mr Barrot said he expected the asylum agency, which the EU 27 agreed to set up last month, to come up with a resettlement programme through which asylum seekers could be absorbed by other member states. 

“After some amount of time, hopefully not too long, I expect to see a relocation programme,” he said. 

Malta pricing itself out of world tourist market

Malta has dropped four places on the World Economic Forum’s competitive tourism list due in particular to poor results in price competitiveness. Malta slid from 25th to 29th place in global ranking, according to the third annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2009, covering 133 countries around the world. 

For price competitiveness, Malta ranked 122 out of 133 countries, and claimed last place in purchasing power parity (PPP).

25 years ago - The Times

Tuesday, March 15, 1994

Lm44m needed for roads 

Studies carried out by the government over the past two years have shown that half of Malta’s arterial and distributor roads network – a total of 154 lane kilometres – requires major work costing Lm44 million to be brought up to acceptable standards.

That includes 40 lane kilometres which need complete reconstruction and 114 lane kilometres that require significant overlay work. The study, of which The Times has seen a copy, gives several reasons why roads have fallen into disrepair and suggests new methods of construction or restoration, depending on the current state of the roads involved.

There is one familiar catch – where to find the money. For it would cost Lm44 million, spread over five years and including inflation, to do the work. Current expenditure on roads is around Lm7 million annually.

Malta gets sound credit ratings

Malta has been assigned its first ever credit ratings by Moody’s and Standard & Poor, two American specialist agencies, Finance Minister John Dalli announced yesterday. The ratings A2 and A were a ‘good investment grade’.

Half a century ago - Times of Malta

Saturday, March 15, 1969

Last Royal Navy warships leave Malta for Britain

The last Royal Navy warships to be permanently based in Malta – five small, wooden coastal minesweepers – leave Malta for the last time on March 31 for Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.

It will be a sad, perhaps nostalgic farewell, for the departure of the Walkerton, Leverton, Crofton, Ashton and Shavington marks the end of an era which began with the wooden walls of Nelson nearly 170 years ago and endured through peace and war, years when the Navy was Malta’s biggest industry.

But times have changed. The once great naval base and home of the Mediterranean Fleet, has been whittled down to next to nothing by two successive rundowns until only the 7th Mine Countermeasures Squadron became the sole force of RN warships permanently based in the Mediterranean.

Marketing convention

Seventy-five marketing agents of Union Carbide, manufacturers of industrial products, are expected to arrive tomorrow from the United Kingdom, Italy, Paris, Geneva, Spain and New York for a three-day conference at the Malta Sheraton Hotel.

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