Valletta has finally been inaugurated as European Capital of Culture for 2018. Despite any controversies and disagreements about the type of events which will be staged over the coming year, it is very likely that the lasting impact of this initiative will be positive. The attention to Valletta and investment expected for this year will surely have a good effect overall.

Efforts to ‘regenerate’ Valletta began years ago. Faced with the rubble and destruction of the second world war, in 1945 the government of the day commissioned a study by British architects Harrison and Hubbard to establish a masterplan on the way forward for Valletta.

But besides immediate repairs and rebuilding, serious conservation initiatives in Valletta only really began to be implemented much later. The first Valletta Rehabilitation Committee was appointed in the late 1980s. Through restoration and other works, this set in motion a transformation of the city, which had steadily fallen into neglect and deteriorated in the post-war years.

One major project before this, in the 1960s, was a new city gate, leading into an open square surrounded by shops – but this was an unloved entrance to the city, which never really worked and remained partly unfinished. It has thankfully now been demolished and replaced by the new entrance and Parliament building designed by architect Renzo Piano and his team.

The square outside the bridge and the Triton Fountain have now also been restored and fixed up, and so far, it looks great. Hopefully the garden in the ditch will also be transformed into an attractive public space as first planned. Valletta’s gorgeous entrance reflects the beautiful old city which lies behind it.

The main shopping and business streets have long been pedestrianised. I have practically forgotten the road that crossed over City Gate, or how it was to drive up Merchants Street, or down South Street along the side of the opera house ruins which were used as a car park. I have forgotten the rows of old cars which were parked on unsightly, broken tarmac in the square in front of the Palace.

Valletta is successfully being transformed into a showcase of Maltese culture

Now that Malta’s European presidency is over, hopefully the restoration of the Palace will also be resumed and completed, turning this important building into a public museum as originally planned when the Parliament chamber and offices moved out of it. The new arts museum MUZA at the Auberge d’Italie in Merchants Street, intended to replace the Fine Arts Museum at Admiralty House in South Street, is another important cultural project which is underway.

Valletta is successfully being transformed into a showcase of Maltese culture, as well as remaining the nation’s centre of government and of some aspects of commerce. Its nightlife, and more dubious transformation into a ‘Paceville-in-a-historic-centre’, also appears to be thriving. New bars, cafés and restaurants are constantly opening.

Boutique hotels, museums, cultural events and shops are on the increase, but most activity in Valletta is not generated by its residents. It is brought in by people residing elsewhere, in the other towns and villages of Malta, and who visit Valletta for work or leisure.

While parts of Valletta are being upgraded and regenerated, with huge investment in restoration and cultural activities, concerns about ‘gentrification’ are growing, with its community aging and dwindling due to steep property prices. Finding ways for Valletta to thrive as a residential space is now the biggest challenge that the city faces in rebuilding its future.

Treading water

The government generally has a pretty slick and effective media machine. No matter how many allegations and controversies rise to the surface, it always appears to carry on unscathed. How has this powerful publicity engine failed so miserably with the international press and the European Parliament?  Yet another embarrassing parliamentary session took place in Brussels this week, with MEPs from different Member States questioning and slamming Malta. Unfortunately, it is not just one but many familiar issues which have irked both MEPs and journalists.

These include the lack of resignations on the Panama Papers revelations; a sluggish investigation on the Pilatus Bank and Egrant allegations; stagnant FIAU reports on corruption; suspicions of money-laundering; and the pushy approach and secrecy surrounding the selling of passports which give access to the EU.

Not least, the government’s evasive responses to genuine questions on these concerns have also been damaging, leading to a serious loss of credibility. This is difficult to repair.

The concerns have been dragging on for so long that these stories and questions are now going around in circles. MEPs, journalists and the public continue pressing for satisfactory answers, but remain stuck in the same spot, treading water. The same complaints and calls for accountability keep on being made but are still unresolved.

The longer this situation persists, the more tempers will flare. I sense that we have passed the stage when everyone might lose interest, get distracted and move on. A resilient core of people both in and outside of this country, including a wide spectrum who are neither journalists nor politicians, seems determined to persevere for as long as it takes until something gives and real answers are provided.

petracdingli@gmail.com