The first three months of this year were expected to be positive economically continuing on the trend in the final months of last year which saw a marginal growth of 0.5 per cent, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning.

Speaking at the party club in San Gwann, Dr Gonzi, however, cautioned against over-optimism because “the storm was still around”.

Referring to the European Commission’s decision to drop the case against Malta regarding the extension of development zones, the Prime Minister insisted this decision confirmed his government’s integrity.

He criticised Labour leader Joseph Muscat for not presenting his party’s promised report on the Malta Environment and Planning Authority reform and ridiculed Labour’s proposal to separate the planning function of the authority from its environmental responsibility.

Referring to social exclusion, Dr Gonzi acknowledged that his government might have come across as ignoring the social safety net over the past two years. However, he insisted the reforms were intended to strengthen the economy and public finances and ensure that education and healthcare would continue to be given free.

He quoted EU statistics showing that Malta ranked among the best in the EU for its social safety net.

He also said that Malta’s minimum wage ranked the best in the EU when compared to the country’s average wage. The country spent €5 million every day on welfare benefits, housing, education and health, Dr Gonzi said.

He said that vision 2015, which would see Malta excel in a number of sectors within the next five years, was a work in progress.