Vision 2015 is a project taking shape - Gonzi

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday the government had to stop subsidising failing ventures and continue investing in sectors like education and energy as part of Vision 2015.

"I'm not sure if I am comfortable calling it a vision anymore because it has already become a project. Things are taking shape," he said while visiting STC Training, an ICT school in Pembroke.

He pointed out that Malta spent €1.4 million per school day on education, a sum that included stipends, salaries and the construction of school buildings.

While strong economies around the world were crumbling because of the economic recession, he added, Malta had "sailed through".

"If you notice, the stories in the media are not about unemployment and businesses collapsing like you have in other countries," he said.

Dr Gonzi urged students to continue furthering their studies and developing new skills, adding that today's generation was "lucky" because the internet had pulled down the barriers of distance. "Now you can sit at your computer and compete with someone in New York or Beijing, as long as you have the necessary skills."

He said the government's "nice words" were backed up by real accomplishments such as the SR Technics investment.

The country's biggest problem was finding enough human resources to cater for all the investments that were coming.

It was also important for the government to guarantee the country would be able to generate enough energy. The financial services and gaming industries could suffer extensively if electricity was down for even just 10 minutes, he said.

Investors, Dr Gonzi added, would not dream of coming to Malta if the energy sector was not up to scratch.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com