Prime Minister Robert Abela visited mediterranean college of sports In Birkirkara and announced new sports facility and upcoming innovations.

The new facility includes a newly built football pitch.

Prime Minster Robert Abela during his visit integrated with students, and staff members across various departments.

Dr Abela explained that the Vassallo Group has invested a total of €15 million to establish this sports college, resulting in the creation of around 7,000 square metres of space dedicated to sport. An additional 2,000 square metres of facilities were renovated, including a swimming pool, football pitches, a gymnastics gym, and a sports performance centre.

The college officially opened on 30th September of last year and currently is made up of 95 students and 70 staff members employed in the institutions.

Apart from secondary and sixth-form education the college also provides earning in football, water polo, swimming, athletics, and other sports disciplines.

The college aims to expand training to include tennis and artistic gymnastics starting next academic year.

During the ceremony, which saw the inauguration of the new football ground named in honour of Fr Hilary Tagliaferro—recognising his significant contribution to Maltese football, especially among youth—Prime Minister Robert Abela stated, “As a Government, we are grateful and pleased to witness such investment—investment in both the educational and sporting sectors that embraces a holistic approach to education.” He added, “As a Government, we will continue investing in sports infrastructure and various other aspects of sport, but we are certainly pleased to see the private sector complementing this effort. We must continue to promote the message that sport should be an integral part of our lifestyle.”

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In a dramatic new push to tackle Malta’s traffic nightmare, Transport Minister Chris Bonett this morning confirmed the groundbreaking incentive first reported last Sunday: ditch your car and driving licence for five years, and get paid €25,000.

Yes, you read that right. Under this bold new scheme, drivers who renounce all their licences and vehicles for five full years will receive €5,000 annually. No other type of driving licence can be obtained during this period, and participants must not own or use a car.

The scheme comes with a catch — you must stick it out for at least one year. Opting out earlier is not allowed, and anyone quitting after the first year will have to pay back the remaining balance.

To qualify, you must have held a driving licence for at least seven years and currently own a vehicle.

This is part of a wider package of transport measures unveiled by Minister Bonett during a much-anticipated press conference, with the government finally getting serious about breaking Malta’s long-standing car culture.

Minister Bonett stressed that immediate action had to be taken and that it was time to rethink how Maltese people move within Malta. He explained that this package of measures comes after a full year of consultation with people from all walks of life — involving a wide range of backgrounds, professions, and communities to ensure the strategy truly reflects society.

He added that he was pleasantly surprised by the level of public interest and grateful for the constructive criticism received, which has helped shape and strengthen the final proposals.

The Minister was clear in his approach: “We don’t want to force people, but we want to convince them that they need to be with us and encourage them to help us beat traffic by using one of these measures on a voluntary basis.”

Importantly, he also confirmed that some of these measures will start coming into effect as early as next month, signalling a swift shift toward real action on the ground.

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