Malta with highest percentage increase in building permits in EU

Jun 6 2023

According to Eurostat, Malta has had the highest percentage increase in building permits in 2022 over the previous year.

Compared with 2021, building permits went up in only 9 EU countries last year, with Malta registering the highest increase at 29%.

The island was followed by Spain (+28%), Croatia (+21%), Slovenia (+17%), Bulgaria (+12%), Italy (+8%), Hungary (+7%), Portugal (+3%) and France (+2%).

Building permits went down by almost 5% in the EU, following a 15% increase in 2021. In the remaining EU members not mentioned above, the decreases in the number of building permits spanned around -28% and -1% (Luxembourg and Romania respectively).

The number of building permits were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic after having went up by almost 6% on average per year between 2015 and 2019.

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Bill to include environment as fundamental right presented by PN

Jun 6 2023

The Nationalist Party presented a bill on Monday to include the environment as one of the fundamental rights of the individual in Malta.

Addressing a press conference, PN MPs Darren Carabott, Janice Chetcuti and Stanley Zammit spoke about how this is the ‘strongest legislation in favour of the environment ever proposed in our country.’

‘All individuals in Malta have the right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment’ the bill, and by extension the PN, suggests.

The party is thus proposing to introduce public scrutiny of environmental decisions as well as enhancing public participation in such matters.

The PN included legal amendments to the draft law, expanding the definition of the word environment to include air, water, land, ecosystems and all elements forming part of it. Social conditions, cultural attributes and aesthetic coherence will also be included.

The bill means that there will no longer be a need to show personal interest to open a constitutional case on the environment and will thus allow for more robust public scrutiny by NGOs and citizens.

The PN is calling on the government to vote unanimously in favour of the amendment, which requires at least a two-thirds majority to be approved and enacted.

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Worst heart attacks more likely to happen on Mondays

Jun 6 2023

Be careful of those Monday blues. According to new research, the severest type of heart attack is most likely to occur on a Monday.

The research took a look at 10,528 patients who had been admitted to hospitals in Ireland with specific heart attacks called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (try saying that five times fast) between 2013 and 2018.

The study has not been peer-reviewed yet, but a STEMI heart attack is the most serious kind and kepis when a major coronary artery is completely blocked.

Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, stomach pain, heart palpitations, anxiety, sweating and feeling dizzy.

It was found that Monday, as well as slightly less but significant on Sundays, are set to be days wherein the heart attacks are more noted.

It is currently assumed that a link between heart attacks and the body’s sleep or wake cycle (the disruption of it), could be playing a factor.

Previous research also suggests that cardiac arrests are more likely to occur on Mondays. Requiring more research, the trend could be cause for worry for both workers and medical experts.

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Government cannot solve population problem it created says PN

Jun 6 2023

A statement by the Nationalist Party has called out the government under Robert Abela for being unable to solve the population crisis it caused.

This of course comes after Finance Minister Clyde Caruana predicted, or rather warned, that the population of the island could reach 800,000 by the year 2040 if the same economic model is preserved – a model created by himself.

The Opposition said that Minister Caruana stated a year ago that the economic model that he pushed for had failed and had urged for a change.

‘With his own admission, the economic model built on unrestricted consumption without added value, based on the increase of the population without planning in the most densely populated amongst the EU member states, needs to change.’

The Opposition accused the government of not providing any long term solutions to the issues.

‘What type of value added jobs for Malta’s youth and workers will be created? What types of sectors which pay good wages and not cheap labour will be created? Above all, what vision will the government create for our youth so that their quality of life is better?’

The Party went on to provide a number of solutions it intends to put forth to solve the issues, among them being:

To strengthen the sectors built by the Nationalist Government
The creation of an economic model with new sectors which aim to provide better quality and paying jobs
The creation of 10 new economic models
The COLA allowance not being taxable
That the government should give fiscal incentives to combat the increases in cost of living
A national fund with an annual budget of €40 million to help the importing or exporting industry

Spokesperson on behalf of the Nationalist Party Jerome Caruana Cilia said that the Opposition is insisting that Robert Abela government should focus on the problems and take immediate action.

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