The Opposition today called for an explanation from the government about drops in foreign direct investment and industrial production.

In a statement, Finance shadow minister Mario de Marco and manufacture spokesman Robert Arrigo referred to official National Statistics Office data on foreign direct investment pointing to a 64 per cent drop. They also referred to Eurostat data indicating  that Malta registered the largest drop in industrial production in the EU, second only to Greece.

|”These drops require an explanation from government,” they said.

They said that the NSO data cast doubt on the government's claim that the country was managing to attract a record amount of foreign direct investment. A recent survey conducted by EY amongst investors last year pointed towards a declining appetite for new investment and government needed to address these concerns rather than content itself with one off investments, they said.

The spokesmen said that the Eurostat data should serve to make the government realise that the positive trends in the economy could not be taken for granted and that there were areas of concern that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.