Vision 2015 - Make it happen

Where we stand today - our achievements and economic ability to withstand the turmoil of the international crisis - is the fruit of the clear economic direction that we have been able to give to our nation and is thanks to the hard work and efforts of every stakeholder.

From political independence to economic freedom, the efforts to modernise our economy, develop a unique identity, create a society that cares, join the European Union and adopt the euro have all been key milestones in our recent history. We went through this transformation in a rather short time, a young nation. These feats have a common factor - they were all aspirations of the Maltese transformed into reality by those who led the country at that time.

Like the rest of the world, we witnessed the worst economic phenomenon to date. The protection and creation of as many jobs as possible and the fostering of an economic climate conducive to growth is what inspired most of the decisions taken in the past decade.

No quick solutions would have ever got us here. Malta is what it is today thanks to those whose vision and leadership have transformed our aspirations into the series of tangible realities that have established our nation's path.

Today we are entrusted with a new opportunity. We are privileged to be in a position to shape our destiny. Vision 2015 is about where we want to be. It is about the work we want to have, the kind of education we want to give to our children, the quality of life we aspire to. It is about you, your relatives and your family.

We believe we can excel and maximise the country's resources in a number of sectors: from the creative industries of financial services, tourism and high value added manufacturing to the provision of international educational services, life sciences and health-related services and transportation and logistics.

We are seeking to create clusters as it is known that doing this is a key to wealth generation. A cluster develops when businesses in interrelated industries choose to locate in close proximity to take advantage of a location's inherent benefits.

We would like to see these benefits being built on excellence and led by it. We are already seeing that take place in the sectors identified; we are managing to secure the presence of major players, who are looking towards Malta for their growth. This makes our vision attainable, albeit ambitious.

We are resolute to create the environment necessary to translate the vision into reality. During the course of history, we Maltese have demonstrated our ability and willpower to shape and implement a vision which has helped us to develop into one of the most successful small nations. We want our country to excel, because excellence is what we aspire to.

This is not only the government's vision. We are all called to plot our forthcoming course of action and the next step of Malta and Gozo's journey. It is a shared vision which has you and those close to you as the prime actors.

Economic growth, the creation of wealth, the generation of jobs and continuous improvement in the country's infrastructure will continue to form the basis of efforts to improve the quality of life for all while leading the way to more ambitious targets inspired by excellence - excellence as a way of life, in the services we provide, in the experience we offer to our visitors, in the education we provide and the kind of jobs we create.

Vision 2015 is not an end in itself. It is about establishing the next lap in our journey. It is about ascertaining what we want to have and what we aspire to. It is what we want our country to be in the coming years, for us and for the generations to come. We have established seven sectors in which we have the potential to excel and achieve and build our uniqueness.

This is important. This is your strategy. We invite you to participate and contribute towards this aim. I encourage you to log on to www.vision2015.gov.mt and participate in the survey, or e-mail us with your comments. Sharing your vision and meeting your aspirations is what gives us the strength to strive to achieve.