The government has welcomed EU data showing robust economic sentiment in Malta.
A survey of 1,500 companies and 1,000 families showed Malta to have the highest level of economic optimism in the eurozone, the government said.
The index for Malta was 30 per cent higher than in the same month of the last year of the former government, it observed.
The highest level of optimism was shown by the services sector, including finance and gaming, where the index for Malta was twice the EU average. This, it said, contrasted with Opposition claims of uncertainty.
The government also noted strong optimism in the retail and construction sectors. The former expects increased sales, while the construction sector has a five-year backlog of orders.
Maltese families also reported improvement in their financial situation. Respondents said they expected the economy to continue to improve and job creation to accelerate.