With more than 9,000 active listings and an estimated national stock of about 300,000 dwellings, the assumed share of units that could return to long-term use is just over 3 percent. Using the Central Bank’s own ratio between changes in stock and changes in price, this larger share translates into a long-run impact in the region of 3 to 5 percent.

The Shift in Policy For decades, land reclamation sat on the fringes of Maltese policy. It surfaced in pre-election chatter, appeared in speculative renders, and occasionally in talk-show bravado, but never in concrete economic planning. Budget 2026 changes that. For the first time, the government has identified a specific site for large-scale reclamation tied to industrial and maritime use rather than real estate. This proposal raises a simple economic question: can creating

Online debate this week revolved around the topic of whether Malta’s accession to the EU is causing a population boom is being driven by Brussels or by choices made at home. The truth is more nuanced than either side claims.

Look at any Europe-wide chart on forest cover and Malta appears as an outlier. In 2020, just 1 percent of the country’s territory was classified as forested. Even the second-lowest EU member state, the Netherlands, registered 10 percent. Most of Europe sits far above that. Finland tops the list at 66 percent; Slovenia and Latvia exceed 50 percent. Malta stands alone at the bottom. The graphic is striking, but a sceptic, including this author, might argue that such comparisons

In 2015, the Government awarded a concession to Vitals Global Healthcare for the redevelopment, management, and operation of the Gozo General Hospital, Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital, and St Luke’s Hospital. After Vitals failed to meet its obligations and secure the necessary financing, the concession was transferred to Steward Health Care in early 2018. Steward likewise did not deliver the promised redevelopment works. In 2023, the Maltese courts annulled the concession

Claims that ministers awarded themselves larger pay rises are incorrect. The 2026 adjustments are part of the nationwide collective agreement, and in many cases, ordinary government employees received higher increases than Cabinet members.

Malta Budget 2026 tackles housing affordability with expanded deposit aid, buyer grants, and social leasing, but limited supply reforms risk fuelling prices instead of fixing the crisis.

Framed against a backdrop of slowing European growth, Malta’s budget for 2026 combined fiscal prudence with an unmistakable push towards helping families’ disposable incomes, pensioners, and small businesses. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana opened with confidence that Malta remains an “exceptional” case in Europe, maintaining growth and stability while still offering tangible relief to households. Malta’s 2026 Budget cuts family taxes, lifts pensions, and backs a €100m digital

Malta’s Budget 2026 goes all in on families, overhauling tax bands for parents and married couples. The reform leaves €160 million in households’ pockets and marks the government’s boldest bet yet to reverse the country’s record-low birth rate.

Malta’s 2026 Budget puts productivity at its core, shifting from labour-driven growth to a digital strategy built on skills, innovation, and efficiency.