2.4 per cent increase registered last month

Malta, together with Greece, experienced the second highest increases in industrial production last month (2.4%), following Croatia which registered an increase of 3.9%, Eurostat said.

The statistical office of the European Union said that among member states for which data was available, the largest decreases in industrial production were registered in Ireland (-11.7%), Germany (-3.1%) and the Czech Republic (-2.2%).

Main contributors to total FDI flows were financial and insurance activities

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in Malta in the first six months of last year went up by €1.9 billion, equivalent to an increase of €455.6 million over the corresponding flows in the previous year, the National Statistics Office said.

It said in a statement that the main contributors to total FDI flows were financial and insurance activities with a total contribution of 95.6 per cent.

Growth is expected to remain well above the EU average

Malta’s economic growth has settled down from the exceptional levels of 2014 and 2015 but is forecast to remain well above the EU average, the European Commission said in its winter forecasts today.

Malta assumes the EU presidency with a pledge to “rEUnite”

On 1 January, Malta became the smallest EU Member State ever to take the rotating, six-month presidency of the European Council at a time when the Union is facing daunting political challenges posed by the refugee crisis, Brexit and the upcoming general elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany, where populist, anti-Europe movements are on the rise.

Largest foreign investment in education 

The Prime Minister recently announced that the government had concluded an agreement with Sa-deen on the American University of Malta (AUM), allowing this huge investment to proceed to the next phase..

€56 million will be invested in a new Institute of Tourism Studies building in Smart City. A call for tenders for the current ITS building will be released so that another complimentary project will take its place, exploring the possibility of strategic alliances with international and renowned schools in the management of hospitality .

FUNDING FORMS PART OF THE 2014-2020 ALLOCATION

The European Union is to allocate €33m for the new regional health centre in Paola and €31 million for the second phase of the building of the new Mcast campus in Paola.

Malta has been allocated €72 million in EU funds for a new regional health centre in Paola and the construction of new Mcast facilities in Corradino.

Dwejra and the Majjistral Park are among the sites being considered to become for the first time, UNESCO Geoparks Sites.

For this scope, the government has allocated a fund of €200,000 for a committee which will be entrusted to carry out studies presided by Professor Henry Frendo.  This is the first time that the government will be moving forward such initiative which will help put local sites on the international sphere.  

Up until now, the only Maltese sites recognised by UNESCO are Belt Valletta and the Neolithic Temples in Malta and Gozo.