Malta had the steepest decline in exports among EU countries in the first half of the year, with a contraction of 26 per cent, the PN said today, quoting figures issued by Eurostat.

Malta also saw the sharpest decline in imports, which were down by 10 per cent.

The PN said these figures tied in with recent statistics issued by the National Statistics Office which showed that despite economic growth, the manufacturing sector had shrank by 11 per cent. This sector was vital for Malta because it employed some 30,000 people, the PN pointed out.

PN Deputy leader Mario de Marco, spokesman on economic affairs, said the government should heed these figures as it prepared Budget. The government needed to produce an economic vision and strategy which would go beyond economic growth propelled by the public sector.

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