UCA Property Incentives Here to Stay, Confirms Prime Minister Prime Minister Robert Abela has confirmed that the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) property scheme will remain in place, reassuring buyers that the popular incentive is not being discontinued despite its omission from this year’s Budget speech. Abela said the government “never stops incentives”, noting the scheme’s success since its introduction two years ago. The measure exempts buyers from tax on the first €750,000 of the property price, while those purchasing properties in village cores benefit from cash grants of €15,000 in Malta and €40,000 in Gozo. (Times of Malta)
Malta Drops Slightly in Global Rule of Law Ranking Malta has fallen one place to 31st out of 143 countries in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2025, recording a 0.2% decline in its performance. The country’s score now stands at 0.67, below the European average of 0.73 but still higher than the global average of 0.55. This marks a continued downward trend since 2021, when Malta achieved 0.68. The report notes a global erosion in governance, with 68% of countries experiencing declines for the eighth consecutive year, largely due to weaker checks on power and threats to judicial independence. (Maltatoday)
Cross-Party Unity Emerges on Metro Project Despite Fertility Disputes Government and opposition representatives expressed rare agreement on the need for bipartisan support for Malta’s metro project during a post-Budget discussion. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri acknowledged that the multi-billion-euro project would span more than one legislature, calling for cross-party commitment to ensure continuity. Opposition finance spokesperson Adrian Delia confirmed the PN’s openness to formal agreements, echoing party leader Alex Borg’s proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prime Minister. The metro plan, now costed at €2.8 billion, is still under technical review, though Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has cautioned against potential financial risk, (Newsbook)
