Government expected to announce ‘important deal in film industry’

The Commissioner for Films is expected to announce “an important deal” soon, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

Without revealing any details but insisting that the benefits from the announcement will be felt by many, the Labour leader said the government was seeking creative ways to generate economic growth.

This evening Muscat descended in Isla, welcomed by cheering residents and party supporters. At the start of his address, he invited the audience to join him for a minute of silence in solidarity with the victims of the Germanwings victims.

Muscat, who lately has been visiting localities close to the Marsa power station, reiterated that no decision for the south of Malta was as important as the closure of the 62-year-old power station.

Admitting that the gas power plant had been delayed, he reminded the residents that they were paying cheaper bills for the use of water and electricity while businesses would start benefitting from cheaper bills by the end of months.

Generating more cheers and claps from his audience, Muscat told them that during last week’s meeting of the European Council, the EU leaders spoke of the importance of increasing trade cooperation with China and diversifying energy sources from eastern countries, Azerbaijan included.

“I felt like calling Simon Busuttil to tell him that every government decision he was against was being proposed by the EU,” he quipped.

On a roll, the Labour leader said the opposition leader did not crack any jokes on the imminent switching on of the interconnector, which fell two years behind under a PN administration.

Muscat explained that the island required a diversification of energy supply, as total dependence on the cable crossing from Malta to Sicily would be too risky. Recounting a speech he delivered earlier in parliament, Muscat said the interconnector would start providing electricity in around three weeks’ time.