Distinguished Guests,
Today’s event focuses on our country’s growth and the impact which this growth has on the quality of our everyday’s life.
I express my gratitude and thanks to all of you who have contributed to today’s conference.
As this conference comes to a close, I would like to commend Astrid and her group of volunteers for the constant impetus in the way in which they have made the rest of us, I think, realise that we cannot just take things for granted and that we need to look at the bigger picture.
Today’s conference falls at a particular juncture for our country. A country that is progressing economically, but which poses a question: “What comes next?” and, most importantly, “At what cost?”. The answers to these questions are far from straightforward. Indeed, they are very complex.
Today, you had the opportunity to discuss and analyse the theme of sustainability through the perspectives of individuals from the environmental, economic and social spheres.
Growth can seriously affect our infrastructure and it can negatively impact our environment and cultural identity, if not properly managed.
The most concerning theme in this situation, is when individuals and citizens struggle to meet the societal demands of a progressive and demanding society.
On numerous occasions, I have stressed the importance to not allow economic prosperity and progress convert itself into regress by hindering our nation’s health, our environment and also our basic standard of living.
Social wellbeing, quality of life and sustainable growth are elements that should not be overlooked; they should never be sidelined when considering the economic advantages that might appertain.
On the contrary, economic growth should be seen as the driving factor towards an improvement of our quality of life in favour of our urban, our natural and our social heritage.
It can boost our built urban architecture, but only if made through intelligent urban development, which includes the rehabilitation of old buildings and helps to preserve our cultural heritage with the specific aim of revitalising our towns and villages and maintaining the identity which is peculiar to Maltese character.
However, this entails an ongoing commitment to maintain a sometimes-precarious balance, and of course, it entails being faithful to well-intentioned regulations and controls is key.
The protection of our natural environment is vital to maintaining a higher quality of living; open green spaces for families to enjoy, clean and accessible beaches, cleaner air, the protection of flora and fauna in our valleys; these are the things that contribute towards a better quality of life for us and for our children’s children.
These qualities also have an impact our physical and, above all, on our mental health.
From a social perspective, economic growth can revitalise human happiness by understanding better what makes people happier, therefore, it is very important to have a holistic picture of life and aspirations.
When taking these three principles into consideration, policymakers will be in a better position to assess economic opportunities and the way they influence the quality of life of us all.
Recent initiatives, such as grants of EUR 1,000 for 10 years to first time buyers, and a grant scheme of EUR 9,000 over 3 years for those who buy energy-efficient buildings, do ensure that the growing demand in the market is matched with sustainable measures so that everyone is able to cope and keep up with these expectations.
However, these are not enough. They have to be together with other evaluations. The ones I have already mentioned, the holistic picture of all our environment, a holistic picture, where we take into consideration mental and physical health. Where we take into consideration the development in our children of an appreciation of our culture and of our identity.
A better quality of life should not be a by-product of growth; it should be an aim of economic growth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As this conference draws to a close, we have to identify, we have to be forceful on the vision we have for our next generations. Economic growth is essential for a prosperous future and for our children success but we need to be proactive in bridging thriving progress with a clean and accessible natural and urban environment, whilst ensuring that economic progress and economic prosperity trickle down to those who are the lowest of the poor.
We still have them amongst us, don’t be deluded. We still have them.
