European Commission’s country specific recommendations for Malta down to two

The European Commission has now decided to reduce its number of annual recommendations for Malta to just two. This is the lowest number of recommendations the Commission has ever made to the country.

In the last three years, country specific recommendations dropped to five in 2013 and 2014, and to four last year.

The authorities involved were able reach agreements with the European Commission, who had been recommending an increase in the age of retirement and the inclusion of private pension schemes. The Commission also dropped recommendations of improving the finance for the private sectors. 

Malta was one of only two countries, along with Hungary, who had only two recommendations.

PN says report proves that government is 'not controlling expenditure'

In its reaction to the report, the Nationalist Party said that the European commission was showing a number of concerns that conformed with its own line of thought.

“The report clearly shows that the government’s fiscal aims are not credible, and that spending is increasing at a very fast rate, with economic growth relying on solitary, one-time events,” the statement reads.

The PN went on to point out that the report had also underlined the fact that the government had not addressed issues of structural importance like transport and the pensions reform.

“The PN had tried to express these concerns in the past and it has urged the government to rein in its expenditure, but now these concerns are even being concerned by the commission.”