Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said in Senglea this morning that jobs were the priority of the Nationalist Party, as well as higher living standards. He also announced that he would inaugurate the new Aviation Park next week, saying this would be the source of hundreds of jobs.

In an event moderated by former GWU section secretary Josephine Sultana, Dr Gonzi said that although the creation of 20,000 new jobs under the PN in the last four years was impressive, the party wanted more.

The government would also continue to clamp down on abuse of workers by their employers and work for equal rights and improved benefits, the PN quoted Dr Gonzi as saying.

Dr Gonzi observed that Malta had one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. He said that incentives such as the MicroInvest, MicroCredit and Business First schemes had helped create new jobs and raise the productivity of Maltese enterprises.

Dr Gonzi spoke of how 1,500 scholarships had been awarded to students over the past few years and millions of euros have been granted in stipends, saying this was investment which the country needed to continue to progress.

In listing various PN successes, Dr Gonzi mentioned Malta's accession to the EU, the adoption of the Euro, Mater Dei hospital, the new Oncology Department, the  new Internet Gaming industry and the Valletta and Cottonera regeneration projects.

He said that next week he would inaugurate the new Aviation Park in Safi, which would create hundreds of new jobs. He also assured his listeners that SmartCity would be a success for the country, despite what the Opposition claimed.