LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government is undertaking drastic measures including change in the economic model and further law enforcement in a tentative to limit the number of non-EU nationals to control the over population in Malta. The Maltese government will turn its focus towards investing in industries that do not require many workers to allow for fewer non-EU nationals and to bring foreign skilled migrants. New regulations were published to manage the cab drivers’ service. Immigration police and the Housing Authority have recently joined forces to tackle overcrowding in rental properties. Police are also conducting immigration checks leading to scores of arrests. In the last 10 years, Malta saw a severe increase in population; from 417,000 in 2011 to 542,000 this year. The influx of third-country nationals led to labour exploitation and tremendous pressure on the country’s infrastructure, although the private renting business has registered an increase over the past decade. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has warned that if Malta wants to maintain an average economic growth rate of 4.2 percent, the population would have to increase to 800,000 by 2040 unless a new economic model was developed. A third of foreigners in Malta are EU citizens. A further seven percent are from other European countries that are not EU member states. Italians are the most foreign nationality at 12 percent, followed by British residents at just over nine percent. Other common nationalities include Indian and Filipino at just under seven percent each. Malta also has a sizeable Serbian community.
(ITALPRESS).
Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma
