Prime Minister Joseph Muscat referred to the significant announcement of a “major investment” of €400 million, which will be injected in Malta’s economy when he was addressing delegates attending the annual meeting in Malta of the UEPC (European Union of Developers and House Builders) last night at the Palace Hotel, Sliema.
“This is just another sign of the trust that the private sector is showing in our economy and the way forward is one of further economic growth and success,” he said.
He referred to the latest figures from the European Commission that Malta, together with Ireland, will have the top performing economic growth in the European Union over the next few months for 2015. “Such results do not fall out of the sky but are the result of tough decisions that need to be taken and of a thriving private sector that is taking the lead from our decisions and is delivering,” he commented.
Dr Muscat referred to the current controversy on which decisions had to be taken when needed, which is the crucial point in the success of Malta’s economic policy.
Delegates from nine of the ten European federations that are members of the UEPC are in Malta, led by the UEPC’s President, Jose Manuel Galindo Cueva, for the meeting. Apart from the Malta Developers Association, there are federations from the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Norway, Spain, Romania, Belgium and Holland. Members of the MDA were joined by Government Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and MPs at last night’s reception.
In his address, MDA President Sandro Chetcuti announced that in the coming weeks the Association is to inaugurate its very own premises in Guardamangia. He said that when Malta joined the EU in 2005 developers were among the many sectors facing challenges to adopt the new rules and apply them effectively.
Since being set up in 2010, the MDA realised that its work as an effective lobby group was limited to what was happening in Malta when often it got to know of new EU regulations after the decisions to apply them had been taken by the EU Commission and the Council of Ministers.
“This, in turn, provoked us into becoming part of a pan-European lobby group that represents developers and house builders – the UEPC,” he said. “We are now part of an organisation that lobbies in the interests of European developers and house builders whenever proposals that could affect our sector are being discussed in Brussels.”
The MDA’s membership of the UEPC not only led it to be more aware of the way Brussels works, but also gave it fresh insight through a common forum where it could share the difficulties, problems and solutions in so many European countries. “Today in Malta we are pushing for higher quality residential units and the exchange of information with other UEPC members has helped us immensely in this regard as well,” he said.
Mr Galindo Cueva thanked Dr Muscat for being present. This, he pointed out, “shows the interest for the real estate industry and the importance of developers to the country’s economy”. He said he had been around the islands in the past few days and was impressed with the real estate development taking place.
21 May, 2015
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Il-PM jidirizza d-delegati tal-UEPC
Il-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat irrefera għal tħabbira sinifikanti ta’ “investiment kbir” ta’ €400 miljun, li se jidħol fl-ekonomija Maltija waqt li kien qiegħed jindirizza delegati li qegħdin jattendu laqgħa annwali f’Malta tal-UEPC (Unjoni Ewropea ta’ Żviluppaturi u Bennejja tad-Djar) ilbieraħ filgħaxija fil-Lukanda Palace, tas-Sliema. “Dan hu sinjal ieħor tal-fiduċja li s-settur privat qiegħed juri fl-ekonomija tagħna u l-mod kif l-ekonomija tista’ tkompli timxi ’l quddiem għat-tkabbir u s-suċċess,” hu qal.
Irrefera għall-aħħar figuri mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea li Malta, flimkien mal-Irlanda, se jkollhom l-ekonomiji bl-akbar tkabbir ekonomiku fl-Unjoni Ewropea fix-xhur li ġejjin fl-2015. “Dawn ir-riżultati ma jaqgħux mis-sema iżda huma riżultat ta’ deċiżjonijiet iebsin li kellhom jittieħdu u ta’ settur privat b’saħħtu li qiegħed isegwi dawn id-deċiżjonijiet u wassal ir-risultati,” hu ikkummenta.
Dr Muscat irrefera għall-kontroversja li għaddejja bħal issa u emfasizza li deċiżjonijiet kellhom jittieħdu għax huma meħtieġa u dan hu punt kruċjali fis-suċċess tal-politika ekonomika ta’ Malta.
Delegati minn disa’ mill-għaxar federazzjoni Ewropew li huma membri tal-UEPC huma f’Malta, immexxija mill-President tal-UEPC, Jose Manuel Galindo Cueva, għal din il-laqgħa. Apparti mill-Malta Developers Association (MDA), hemm federazzjonijiet mir-Renju Unit, il-Ġermanja, il-Polonja, in-Norveġja, Spanja, ir-Rumanija, il-Belġju u l-Olanda. Flimkien ma’ numru record ta’ membri tal-MDA, attendew ukoll għar-riċeviment ilbieraħ filgħaxija Ministri tal-Gvern, Segretarji Parlamentari u MPs.
Fl-indirizz tiegħu, il-President tal-MDA Sandro Chetcuti ħabbar li fil-ġimgħat li ġejjin l-Assoċjazzjoni se tinawgura uffiċini ġodda tagħha fi Gwardamanġa. Qal li meta Malta daħlet membru fl-UE fl-2004, l-iżviluppaturi kienu fost il-ħafna setturi li ffaċċaw sfidi biex jadottaw ir-regoli ġodda u japplikawhom b’mod effettiv.
Minn mindu twaqqfet fl-2010, l-MDA rrealizzat li x-xogħol tagħha biex tkun lobby group effettiv kien limitat għal dak li kien qiegħed iseħħ f’Malta meta sikwit saret taf b’regolamenti ġodda tal-UE wara li ttieħdu d-deċiżjonijiet biex japplikawhom mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea u l-Kunsill tal-Ministri.
“Dan kien li ġiegħelna insiru parti minn lobby group madwar l-Ewropa kollha li tirrappreżenta l-iżviluppaturi u l-bennejja tad-djar – l-UEPC,” hu qal. “Issa niffurmaw parti minn din l-organizzazzjoni li tagħmel xogħol ta’ lobbying fl-interess tal-iżviluppaturi u l-bennejja tad-djar Ewropew kull meta proposti li jistgħu jeffettwaw is-settur tagħna jiġu diskussi fi Brussell.”
Permezz tal-isħubija tagħha fl-UEPC mhux biss saret taf aħjar fuq kif taħdem Brussell iżda tagħtha ħarsa ġdida permezz ta’ forum komuni fuq fejn tista’ tqassam id-diffikultajiet, problemi u soluzzjonijiet f’ħafna pajjiżi Ewropew. “Illum f’Malta qiegħdin nagħmlu sforz biex ikun hemm djar residenzjali ta’ kwalità ogħla u l-informazzjoni li naqsmu ma’ membri oħra tal-UEPC għenitna ħafna f’dan ir-rigward ukoll,” temm jgħid is-Sur Chetcuti.
Is-Sur Galindo Cueva irringrazzja lil Dr Muscat tal-preżenza tiegħu. Dan, qal, “juri l-interess fl-industrija tal-bini u l-importanza tal-iżviluppaturi għall-ekonomija tal-pajjiż.” Temm jgħid li kien żar numru ta’ postijiet madwar Malta u Għawdex fl-aħħar jiem u kien impressjonat bl-iżvilupp tal-bini li għaddej.
21 ta’ Mejju, 2015
