Malta's vocation as a bridge between Europe and the southern shores of the Mediterranean will take on a new meaning in the years ahead as it becomes a focal point for health and energy services, the Prime Minister said.

Speaking at the foot of the Freedom Day monument in Vittoriosa this evening, Joseph Muscat said Malta had the potential of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop its vocation into a concrete opportunity.

The Labour Party celebrated the 36th anniversary of Freedom Day with a short, ceremony, characteristically held in a cold wind at the foot of the Freedom Monument. 

Dr Muscat said the Mediterranean shores were characterised by turmoil and uncertainty. "The whole Mediterranean is fluid, with violence and tension in the south and economic problems in the North," he said.

He recalled how Dom Mintoff used to stress in the 1972 that there could be no European security without security in the Mediterranean. Never as much as today had those "visionary words" rung true.

He said it was significant that European Council President Donald Tusk started a tour of Mediterranean countries in Malta, the centre of the region.

At the end of the ceremony Dr Muscat lit the 'freedom torch' and placed flowers on the monument, accompanied by Mrs Muscat.