The state of Malta's economy was among the best five or six countries in the EU, primarily because the government did not listen to the Labour party on core issues such as EU membership, joining the Eurozone and implementing crucial reforms, the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.

Interviewed on party station Radio 101, Dr Gonzi said that while Malta was out of recession after nine months, countries like Greece and Spain were still in crisis.

He said Malta's actual unemployment rate was between five and seven per cent (depending on whether one relies on the Labour Force Survey or the unemployment registry) while in other countries this was much higher. Spain for instance, has 20 per cent unemployment while Greece had up to 12 per cent.

He said Malta's unemployment rate was the fifth lowest among the 27 EU member states.

The government's Vision 2015 was well on track, even though some time ago he was worried that the global economic crisis would not allow his government to achieve its goals, Dr Gonzi said.

He said that one of Malta's biggest problems at the moment was not having enough human resources in areas ranging from accounting to teaching.

The government, he said, has worked to remove un-needed subsidies and invest on creating employment and training the workforce, including many initiatives to help women get back to the workplace or work from home.

He lambasted the Labour Party for not changing the substance of its politics, choosing only to focus on cosmetic changes instead.

"Their latest demonstration reminded us of the ugly times. They always stay the same because they just change faces, they wear masks but the ugliness stays inside.

"In these difficult two years, the Labour Party abandoned the country, choosing only to gain political mileage. This is their tradition. Just because you change the leader, nothing changes. You need to change the political substance," Dr Gonzi said.

He added that Malta was quickly becoming a leader in the aviation maintenance industry as well as in the financial services sector.

Dr Gonzi said the government had the humility to admit mistakes, including when it came to the White Paper on healthcare. Various MPs highlighted a number of issues which should be changed, as should be done with a White Paper open for consultation.