Prime Minister Joseph Muscat delivered his New Year's message tonight, focusing on Malta's EU Presidency, and on the unity of the Maltese people.
"We will start 2017 better-off than when we started 2016, as Malta is stronger now than it was back then and we are moving in the right direction. Malta is one of the most stable countries in Europe, with one of the best economies." He said that the Maltese are the most positive in Europe when it comes to looking to their future.
"From 1 January, Malta will take over the EU Council Presidency for the first time in history. We, as a united people, have a lot to be proud of."
Even though Malta will assume the EU Presidency, Dr Muscat said, "We will not be a bigger country, we will remain the smallest country in the EU. There will still be certain problems and realities we must face every day. We will remain sensitive to the needs of Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses. However, while we will keep our feet on the ground and acknowledge our limitations, we must rise to the occasion and make our Presidency a success. A success for all of Europe that faces many challenges ahead, but also a success for our country, which will show that the size of a country is not an obstacle, but rather can be an advantage.
"2016 saw challenges around the world. There was instability around us, where people in different countries chose not to accept the status quo and change, and at times made choices that shook the establishment. Does this mean the people chose wrongly? No. It means that people sent a clear message that they will not accept what annoys them, that they will not accept somebody telling them that things cannot change, or to be content with what they have.
"We must take the lessons learnt in 2016 as an opportunity, lessons that we should reflect on and understand in our own country.
"We must create a sense of unity in Europe. Over the coming six months, we will begin a project to unite Europe, which we are calling a reunion. We will work on a humble and honest European level agenda, and put forward priorities that will make a difference to the everyday lives of every EU citizen.
"While moving forward with a Presidency that will make Malta proud of what it can do, my priority, and that of the government, will be to continue making a positive difference to your lives and the lives of your families. You will find my friends and me with you, and closer to you than ever before.
"We understand there are still people who, regardless of the economic growth, still feel like they are falling behind. We also understand that while there is more employment than ever before, there are people who want better conditions. We will continue addressing these realities, and can do so thanks to what we built during the three-and-a-half years of this legislature.
"This is why we were able to support pensioners, families on low income, persons with disability, small businesses, mothers and women who work, single parent families, and so on.
"All of this did not occur by accident. It is thanks to the work over the past three and a half years to reach everyone through everything we do. We began turning the economic wheel from the get-go by reducing income tax and energy tariffs. We then addressed the challenges we faced with regard to employment, and we helped parents work by helping them out in everyday life. We helped people with disability enter the world of work, and for the first time in ages addressed pensioners by raising pensions, and this year by making pensions tax free. We also raised the minimum wage.
"If we are not careful in the choices we make however, we could lose everything. This year we will continue to build on the previous three years, and reaching out to everyone.
"We want this year to be a success for everyone, so next year when we look back we can say that we made fewer mistakes than the year before, made more good decisions, and where every part of society felt that they kept moving forward seeing a better future. We want to end 2017 better than we start it.
"Let us unite this year, more so than ever before. We look at what unites us and set aside what separates us. We will not let anyone drive a wedge between us as a united people.
"Let us show how we have grown as a modern European country, with solid values.
"2017 will be a year that will continue to make us proud as a nation.
"On behalf of my wife Michelle and our children, and on behalf of government, we wish you and your families a year full of happiness, prosperity and above all, good health and unity".
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2iQm3qN
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