The Nationalist Party has expressed concern after Malta slipped six places in the Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum.

PN competitiveness spokeswoman Kristy Debono urged the government to take the results seriously and ensure Malta remained a competitive destination.

The index placed Malta 47th out of 144 countries but Ms Debono also noted that when compared with other EU member states, Malta slipped five places and was 19th out of 28 countries.

Malta fell in the rankings for technology, health and education and financial market development.

Ms Debono said there was no sense Finance Minister Edward Scicluna’s argument that Malta’s ranking fell because it did well last year.

“A serious government always aimed to further improve results,” she said.

The government argued the PN statement lacked credibility as recent Eurostat figures showed the economy was the fastest growing in the EU. The ranking, it said, followed substantial progress in 2013. Malta was still ahead of Italy, Hungary and Slovenia, Economy Minister Chris Cardona added.

The ministry said the government intended to roll out initiatives to help business, reduce bureaucracy and improve competitiveness.

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