A Nationalist government would ensure that a quarter of all its public procurement would be from small businesses and self-employed traders to SMEs.

This initiative would help the economy's wheels to keep turning by settling its public procurement bills within 30 days, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said at a press conference outside the Central Bank.

He also said the PN government would attack illegal commerce, including goods brought in without registration and without paying tax in Malta.

He presented a number of proposals aimed at consolidating the economy and bringing in new sectors, saying it was not enough to keep picking the low-hanging fruit, as the Labour government had done.

It was not enough to keep picking the low-hanging fruit, as the Labour government had done

"What you need to do is plant the seeds for the new trees that will give you the new fruit," he said, adding that the PN had six new sectors in mind.

It would be dedicating €200 million to help fintech, which represents a synergy between financial services and IT. Other sectors would be digital media; sports in its widest sense, from training to tourism; and the internet of things.

The PN government would also set up a seed fund of €50 million to attract charities, international organisations and NGOs to use Malta as their base.

“But our first priority will be to consolidate the cracks in the economy and to re-establish Malta’s reputation as a safe, just and reliable jurisdiction."