Alex Borg: Together, we are Malta

In his Budget speech, Alex Borg says the PN wants to give the country a clear direction and calls on the Government to stop pitting businesses and workers against each other

The Partit Nazzjonalista wants policies that translate business success into better pay, investment in skills and greater peace of mind for families. It can never support policies that pit Maltese people against one another.

In his speech about the 2027 Budget, the Leader of the Opposition and of the Partit Nazzjonalista Alex Borg said the PN was offering leadership that brings people in Malta and Gozo together around a clear direction for the country, rather than setting workers against their employers.

During his speech, Alex Borg put forward a series of proposals to ensure that people have a part in shaping the economic changes the country needs, rather than being left to shoulder the burden alone.

The PN Leader said that, instead of taking responsibility for its decisions, the Government was leaving businesses, workers and consumers to fight over who would foot the bill. He said this was the attitude of a tired Government with no direction and no plan.

“Setting Maltese people against one another solves nothing. Workers do not have to lose out for businesses to succeed. If workers are to enjoy a better standard of living, we should help businesses create more wealth and make sure workers share in it too.”

Alex Borg stressed that the PN wants to bring workers and employers to the same table, listen to what each needs and lead changes that create opportunities for both.

“We are the Opposition to this Government. We stand for everyone in this country, not just some.”

A plan for change, rather than a row over who pays for it

The PN Leader said population growth should be guided by a plan that reduces the economy’s reliance on recruiting ever more workers from abroad. The aim, he said, should be for each job to generate more value and for the country to keep pace with the needs of its people.

The PN Leader set out a four-point plan.

• Recruitment in line with the country’s needs: Establish an authority to identify the skills the economy needs and regulate the recruitment of workers from abroad accordingly.
• Investment in workers: Support training for workers who are already here and introduce schemes for Maltese professionals who want to return home to work.
• Grants for technology and innovation: Help businesses invest in training, automation, digitalisation, robotics and artificial intelligence so they can generate more value from their work.
• Recruitment tied to specific vacancies: Link recruitment to identified jobs and genuine demand, rather than treating an increase in the number of workers as an end in itself.

Alex Borg stressed that policy should encourage employers who train and retain their staff. Those who invest in their workforce should have every incentive to keep doing so. At the same time, he insisted that workers are no one’s property and must remain free to seek better pay and conditions.

“Better tools. Better skills. More value from the same hours of work.”

People should feel the benefits of prosperity in their daily lives

The PN Leader explained how this economic approach would improve people’s daily lives. He confirmed that, in its first Budget, a PN Government would set a target for growth in the median wage – the pay of the worker in the middle of the earnings scale. The target would take account of wages elsewhere in Europe and how far that pay goes in Malta.

The aim is both to raise the median wage and to ensure that a wider range of workers benefit.

On affordable housing, Alex Borg renewed his call for the Government to adopt the PN’s proposal to refund 50% of the interest first-time buyers pay on their home loans for the first ten years. The refund would be paid monthly, directly into the buyer’s bank account.

He said what mattered to him was that families received the help they needed, regardless of who took the credit for the proposal.

Alex Borg welcomed the €1,000 bonus and confirmed that a PN-led Government would retain it as an annual payment. He stressed, however, that the bonus alone was insufficient and should be accompanied by opportunities and services that deliver lasting benefits.

Working together for better services

The PN Leader said the same approach should guide education, healthcare and infrastructure. Students should get the support they need, educators should have the tools to teach, and patients should receive care in good time. Public service workers should have the resources and leadership they need to do their jobs, rather than being left to answer for the Government’s failure to plan.

He also called for a National Climate Resilience Plan so the country can prepare its infrastructure before a crisis strikes, rather than acting only after families and businesses have suffered damage.

Country before party

Alex Borg renewed his call for a national agreement on changes that take more than one parliamentary term to deliver. This would mean agreeing on the direction to take, the resources required and who would be accountable for the results. He said the PN should be held to the same standards it expects of the Government.

“Governments can change. The country should not have to start again from scratch.”

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista concluded by urging people to work for the common good despite their differences. The PN, he said, wants to bring together people with ideas, skills and a willingness to contribute, whatever their political allegiance.

“We don’t have to agree on everything to work for the good of the country we share. The Government looks for someone to blame. We look for people to work with. Instead of turning on one another, we can come together for a better Malta. Together, we are Malta.”

02.11.2026

Visit the page about the Budget