The man who could be European Commission president later this year expressed concern about Malta’s rising unemployment yesterday.
Speaking during a short visit to the island, former Luxembourg prime minister Jean Claude Juncker said that although Malta’s unemployment was still under control, the signs were worrying.
He appealed to the government to try to lower the jobless figure and embark on a programme to stimulate employment growth, warning the situation could run out of control.
“Although Malta’s unemployment is still low when compared to the rest of the EU, it is rising. That is not a good sign, especially when the EU economy is out of the woods and unemployment in general is on a downward trend,” he said.
“I hope Malta will not hit the seven per cent mark as that may become very dangerous and difficult to control,” he added.
Mr Juncker, the longest-serving prime minister in the EU’s recent history, was commenting on the latest unemployment figures issued by Eurostat, which showed a 0.4 per cent rise in unemployment in Malta over the past 12 months.
Addressing a PN press conference, during which the party formally endorsed his candidacy for president of the European Commission, Mr Juncker said migration should be one of the top priorities of his five-year term at the helm of the Commission.
Noting that he was always among the few EU prime ministers to speak openly in favour of Malta getting more solidarity to cope with problems caused by migration, he promised to do his utmost given the chance.
“The time for empty promises is over. We should deliver and help Malta in the best possible way,” he said.
Having served as prime minister of Luxembourg for 18 years, Mr Juncker said he had always had good relations with Maltese prime ministers, “especially those who worked hard for Malta to become an EU member”.
He mentioned in particular Eddie Fenech Adami and Lawrence Gonzi.
Declaring he did not want to enter into the nitty-gritty of Maltese politics, he said it was a good sign that “those who opposed Malta’s membership are now among its most ardent supporters”.
PN leader Simon Busuttil said that although the party was still recovering from a massive electoral defeat, it believed that Maltese voters were realising that the country was not moving ahead.
Dr Busuttil said the PN was hoping to win, for the first time, a third seat in the European Parliament and hoped this would help Mr Juncker become president of the EU Executive.
Following changes in the EU treaty, the president of the next Commission will be elected by the European Parliament.