Malta’s economic activity to reach pre-pandemic levels in mid-2022: EC Report / Malta News Briefing – Friday 11 February 2022

1745- Latest News update

Times of Malta says Nearly 200 nations kick off a virtual meeting on Monday to finalise what promises to be a harrowing scientific overview of accelerating climate impacts that will highlight the urgent need to cut emissions – and prepare for the challenges ahead.

MaltaToday says The former post office building in Manoel Dimech Street in Sliema, opposite the police station, has been earmarked for the development of a synagogue, a restaurant and classrooms for religious instruction

Newsbook says Education minister Clifton Grima said he was confident an agreement can be reached between his ministry and unions on the ongoing dispute at the Junior College.

TVM says that More than three quarters of phone calls made last year on emergency number 112 involved an abuse of the service or did not require an emergency

Updated 1300

Silvio Zammit, Dalli’s former aide, dies: Silvio Zammit, a former John Dalli collaborator, who was a key witness in the snus scandal, has died. He was 57. This was announced by the Sliema Local Council where he was a former Deputy Mayor. The court case revolves to an alleged €60 million bribe by Zammit to help influence EU tobacco legislation in 2012. At the time, it had led to Dalli’s resignation as EU Health Commissioner, after an internal EU investigation concluded that there was enough circumstantial evidence that Dalli knew about the attempted bribe.

Covid-19 Update: 143 new COVID-19 cases were reported, as three men died while positive with the virus, health authorities said. 209 patients have recovered, with active cases declining to 1,872, five of whom in ITU.

Morning Briefing

EC expects strong Maltese economic recovery in 2022

After a considerable decline (-8.2%) in 2020, real GDP growth is expected to rebound strongly in 2022. According to the EC Winter Forecast, growth is expected to reach 6%, the highest in the 27-member bloc. In its assessment, Brussels said that growth is driven by improved business and consumer sentiment, as well as a recovery in tourism supported the economy. Growth is
estimated to have been negative in the last quarter of 2021 and to remain muted in the first quarter of 2022,
affected by the surge in infections in late 2021, the tightening of restrictions, low tourist numbers, continued
disruptions in global value chains and negative effects of price increases in shipping and transport.

Malta is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of economic activity around mid-2022. A limited downside risk, the EC said, remains related to possible consequences of the June 2021 decision of the Financial Action Task Force through which Malta was grey-listed.

More details on Papal visit released

Pope Francis will visit migrants at Hal Far when he visits Malta on 2 and 3 April, the Vatican representative in Malta, Nuncio Appostolico Alessandro d’Errico said. The Pope will visit Valletta, Floriana, Rabat, Gozo and Hal Far. On Thursday, a public holiday, Archbishop Charles Scicluna dwelt on migration issues, adding that Malta had a right to ask for EU solidarity in dealing with migration but it should do so while also showing love towards people in distress at sea by saving them.

Covid-19 Update

Four people died with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, three men aged between 62 and 82 and a 92-year-old woman. The number of people who died since the beginning of the pandemic in Malta.

CDE News