Ħafna mill-“investimenti” li nitkellmu dwarhom huma ta’ natura temporanja. Jikkonsistu f’fondi li qed jikkampjaw hawn għal xi żmien u malajr jistgħu jerġgħu jitilqu. Wieħed mis-suċċessi tal-pajjiż fl-aħħar żminijiet kien li ġibed lejh sena wara l-oħra, fondi li ġew joqgħodu bil-wisq wisq aktar minn fondi li telqu.
Saru investimenti oħra, dażgur, tat-tip “dirett”, fejn imprenditur itella fabrika jew lukanda u jimpjega n-nies biex iħaddmuha. Investimenti hekk huma aktar ta’ min jixtieqhom għax la jkunu ġew, diffiċli biex jitilqu (sakemm ma jispiċċawx jinbidlu f’appartamenti, bħal ma ġara fi Smart City, wieħed mill-aktar proġetti fażulli li qatt approva gvern Malti.)
Fil-qafas ta’ gżira ċkejkna bħal tagħna diffiċli tara investimenti hekk resqin minn rajhom. Matul is-snin, kellna noħolqu inċentivi għalihom sakemm jaslu għad-deċiżjoni ta’ investiment. Ikun tajjeb li ssir evalwazzjoni tal-inċentivi industrijali u oħrajn li ngħataw matul is-snin sal-lum.
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GĦAT-TUL
It-tkabbir ekonomiku sostnut li għaddej minnu l-pajjiż hu bla preċedent, kemm fil-kobor tiegħu – kemm fit-tul ta’ żmien li baqa’ jirranka.
Il-konsegwenzi mhux kollha qed ikunu sbieħ, bħal fiż-żieda tal-kera, it-taħsir ambjentali, l-abbużi sfaċċati fil-bini, fost oħrajn.
Effetti oħra għad irridu nifhmu sew x’se jkun l-impatt tagħhom, bħal fil-każ tal-ħaddiema barranin fostna u l-għadd kbir ieħor li se nkunu qed neħtieġu minnhom. Mhux l-ewwel darba fl-istorja ta’ pajjiżna li n-nifs ekonomiku nfetaħ minħabba l-preżenza ta’ barranin, bħal fi żmien il-kavalieri u l-Ingliżi. Imma din l-ewwel darba li l-biċċa qed tiġri skont “regoli” neoliberali, fejn is-suq isuq.
Ma narax li jaqbel jekk konsegwenzi u effetti, tajba jew ħżiena, jitħallew għal rashom biex jitwittew skont l-istess “regoli”. Ikun aħjar jekk jinżamm studju kontinwu u kritiku tal-iżviluppi ekonomiċi u soċjali li jinsabu għaddejja u li jitfasslu pjani għal kif dawn l-iżviluppi jistgħu jiġu ggwidati fl-interess tal-komunità Maltija kollha.
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DILEMMI EWROPEJ
Se jittieħdu passi f’qasir żmien biex titkompla sal-aħħar l-għaqda bankarja fi ħdan iż-żona tal-ewro, kif reġa’ nsista l-gvernatur tal-Bank Ċentrali Ewropew, Mario Draghi?
Se jitwaqqaf Fond Monetarju Ewropew minflok il-Mekkaniżmu għall-Istabbiltà li jeżisti bħalissa, ukoll fiż-żona tal-ewro?
In-negozjati tal-Brexit se jitwasslu sa tmiem sodisfaċenti?
Kif u kemm għandhom jitnaqqsu l-fondi dedikati għall-biedja u għall-koeżjoni fil-baġit tal-Unjoni Ewropea fis-snin bejn l-2020 u l-2027?
Se jintlaħaq ftehim ċar u sod bejn il-pajjiżi membri tal-UE dwar kif jaqsmu bejniethom b’mod ġust il-piżijiet tal-immigrazzjoni?
Kif se jiġi żgurat li l-“valuri” Ewropej qed jiġu rispettati kullimkien?
Dawn huma uħud mid-dilemmi li qed taffaċċja bħalissa l-Unjoni Ewropea.
English Version – In the long run
There exists no precedent for the sustained economic growth that the island is experiencing – both by way of the magnitude and the long period of time over which growth has prevailed.
Not all the consequences are pleasant, as with the increase of rent charges, the environmental damage and the flagrant abuses in the construction sector, among others.
We still need to understand correctly the impact of other effects, as in the case of foreign workers already here and the many others we will need to import. It is not the first time in the history of Malta that economic momentum gathered in line with the presence of foreigners, which is what used to happen under the Knights of St John or during British rule. But it is the first time that this is happening according to neoliberal, free market “rules”.
I doubt whether it makes sense to allow effects and consequences, good and bad, to proceed till they reach the right balance according to these same “rules”. It would be better if a continuous and critical study is carried out of ongoing economic and social developments and if plans are laid out by which further developments can be guided according to the interests overall of the Maltese community.
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Investment incentives
Many of the inward “investments” we highlight are of a temporary nature. They consist of funds which camp here for a while and can easily just leave. One of the successes of the island in recent times was to have yearin, year out, attracted significantly much more inward than there were outward flows of funds.
To be sure, other investments arrived, of a “direct” nature, by which entrepreneurs set up a factory or a hotel and employed people to run them. These investments are more desirable since after having becoming installed here, it would be difficult to just leave (unless projects get transformed into apartments, as happened with Smart City, one of the most disastrous projects ever approved by a Maltese government).
In the context of a small island like ours, finding direct investments which will arrive on their own steam is quite a hopeless proposition. Over the years, we needed to create incentives that could induce entrepreneurs to clinch an investment proposal. It would be a good idea to carry out an evaluation of industrial and other incentives that have been applied up to now in this sense.
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European dilemmas
Will steps be taken shortly to complete banking union within the euro zone, as European Central Bank governor Mario Draghi again insisted recently?
Will a European Monetary Fund be set up to replace the Stability Mechanism which already exists, also within the euro zone?
Are the Brexit negotiations leading to a satisfactory conclusion?
How and to what extent should funds earmarked for agricultural and cohesion projects be cut in the EU budgets for the years 2020 to 2027?
Can a clear and tight agreement be arrived at between EU member states regarding how to share out fairly between them the burdens of immigration?
How shall it be ensured that European “values” are respected everywhere in Europe?
These are some of the dilemmas that at present face the European Union.
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