Nationalist EP candidate Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas this morning underlined the need for the government to continue to assist families maintain a healthy work-family balance.

Speaking at a press conference near the Aċċess centre in Vittoriosa, she said the family was the backbone of society and should be at the heart of the work of all MEPs.

The Aċċess centre was an example of the value of solidarity which was a Maltese characteristic which the PN had always promoted.

The country, she said, should continue to offer incentives for women to return to work, and the fact that the female participation rate was increasing was positive. It was important, however, that there was a proper work-family balance.

She noted that some 40 childcare centres had opened in Malta and the government was providing assistance for the opening of even more, thanks also to EU financial aid.

The PN candidate said flexitime and teleworking could also be encouraged as a way to get more women, especially mothers, to join the gainfully occupied without undue pressures on their families.