The 2008 Environment Report (7)

Key policy question: Are sectoral contributions to GDP moving in environmentally-friendly directions?

The Maltese economy is characterised by growing activity in the service sector, which in 2008 had a share of 76.9 per cent of total GDP, increasing by 1.5 per cent since 2008. The productive sector declined slightly, accounting for 23.1 per cent of total GDP in 2008. The shift towards a more service-oriented economy in the last years could indicate a cleaner form of economic growth. However, this depends on the relative share of the various sub-sectors and on the performance of operators in this sector. In the service sector, the share of real estate, renting and business activities, at 17 per cent of total, continued to expand, along with that of transport, storage and communication, while the share of hotels and restaurants decreased slightly. In the productive sector, manufacturing industry, at 15.6 per cent of total, continued its slow decreasing trend in this period. The share of agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, along with that of electricity, gas and water supply also decreased slightly, with the remainder of economic activities remaining stable.

Policy responses: Mepa policy responses in this area include policies, plans and permitting procedures to limit the environmental and planning impact of activities in these sectors.

The Environment Report seeks to increase awareness and understanding of key environmental issues and trends, to provide a sound evidence base for policy and decision-making, and to facilitate the measurement of environmental performance and progress towards sustainability. For more information visit www.mepa.org.mt/ter.