For another consecutive year, this government has managed to present a budget with a specific objective, a budget with one vision, that of helping and providing to the Maltese and Gozitan community without increasing taxes and costs. The Parliamentary Secretariat under my responsibility worked in strategic ways to achieve the planned objectives.
This year, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) has successfully implemented a corporate level transformation programme, which introduced two new features: that on European and international affairs, and another on the strategy and management of the programme of the authority.
The same authority invested to strengthen research and innovation through an Advanced Fellowship Programme (MAFP). MCCAA has also signed an agreement with the Ministry for Gozo in order to set up an MCCAA branch in Xewkija. This office will serve as a one-stop-shop for all services offered by the MCCAA to consumers and the business sector.
During 2019 and 2020 we will be investing and introducing new systems for the management of online documentation. The authority will draw up a national plan for the sustainable use of pesticides. This will be made after an extensive consultation with all stakeholders.
The Medicines Authority is another entity that has provided numerous results this year. This authority is a scientific and independent regulator that ensures the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines. The authority strives to enhance medical accessibility by strategic coordination with health authorities and we managed to prevent out-of-stock products.
From 2014 to date, we reduced the prices of 230 medications and introduced on the domestic market more than 180 generic products.
After local laws and international rules have been analysed, legislative steps were taken in order to have cannabis products manufactured under “good practice manufacturing” be placed on the Maltese market. Today there are three medicinal cannabis products on the market and we are attentively evaluating applications for the import of six other products.
Discussions were also made with various local and international partners who have shown interest in establishing their company in Malta. This will create substantial economic growth through new quality jobs.
In the next months, the Medicines Authority will be working on carrying out European high standards in areas including medical equipment and veterinary products. This authority has gained international recognition by the European Union and the United States for the high quality of its operations. Such standards have been adopted in order to make sure that the medicine available in our country is of the best quality.
There are three medicinal cannabis products on the market and we are attentively evaluating applications for the import of six other products
This same quality has been present in various sectors within our Secretariat; during this year, the Office of the Commissioner for Information and Data Protection had a major challenge, that relating to GDPR, which entered into force on May 25, 2018.
As part of the preparation for this new legislative framework, at the beginning of last year, the government had established two working groups composed of various representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Commissioner for Data Protection and the Commissioner of Police, with a view to drafting two new legal instruments under the laws of Malta, in order to implement the GDPR and the Police Directive.
As a result of this operation, Malta was among the countries in the European Union that implemented these regulations within the established timeframe.
When discussing the improvements that have been made throughout this year, it is imperative to mention the cultural economic and social regeneration that have been experienced. Valletta was a catalyst of this regeneration, as it took the title of European capital of culture during 2018.
Our capital city came to life, both during the time of day, as well as at night. This has been possible by the valuable work carried out by the Valletta 2018 Foundation. This Foundation organised more than 350 activities in Malta and Gozo, and recorded attendance of around 350,000 people so far.
Valletta 2018 not only invited the Maltese and Gozitan nationals to attend its events but has also given the opportunity to thousands of participants to be part of its activities. In fact, around 2,000 artists participated in projects, exhibitions and performances made by Valletta 2018.
Valletta 2018 was the main reason to visit Malta for 13.5 per cent of tourists that visited our country in the first quarter of 2018. For this reason, by the introduction of the Valletta Cultural Agency, we will be making good use of what has been learned during our experience as the European capital of culture. This legacy will be the basis on which to enhance cultural, economic and social well-being.
The large influx of tourists and the economic growth that our country experienced led to the planning of effective strategies to improve infrastructure and the cleaning and maintenance of our country.
During this year the Cleansing and Maintenance Division has collected more than 11,000 tonnes of waste. We have invested €400,000 in machinery. Furthermore, extensive washing is taking place during the night in various squares and pedestrian zones.
In addition to this, the cleaning of public conveniences, the cleaning of open water channels, as well as the cleaning of pipes under the road surface are frequently made in order to provide the best possible service.
In 2018, we received more than 9,000 calls; 96 per cent of cases and more than 7,500 complaints have been solved. From the beginning of this legislature we strove to improve the upkeep of our country and for this reason we implemented effective measures to improve the functionality of the maintenance section within the Cleansing and Maintenance Division.
We have created efficient teams, which repaired or replaced bollards and crash barriers in several arterial and distributor roads, painted traffic lights, repaired rubble walls and repaired benches. Furthermore, we worked on setting up a substantial number of railings on stairs leading to beaches and mounted more than 380 ladders along the Maltese coast.
All this is evidence of a strategic plan. With the implementation of the progressive and effective measures we adopted, we managed to improve the service offered while upgrading our operations. This was made for one purpose; that of improving the quality of life of the Maltese and Gozitan locals while attracting further investment to our country.
Deo Debattista is Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Protection and Valletta 2018.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece