Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1531564
3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 17 JANUARY 2025 NEWS GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt THE Gozo Business Chamber celebrated its 25th anniversary during an event held on 10 Jan- uary, under the patronage of the President of Malta Myriam Spi- teri Debono. The Chamber was in fact es- tablished through a public deed on the 20th December 1999. The event served as point of reflection for the Chamber providing an overview of the past but also an outlook on the future. The event was also addressed by the Prime Minister Robert Abela, the Opposition leader Bernard Grech, the CEO of the Gozo Re- gional Development Authority Mario Borg, the Bank of Valletta CEO Kenneth Farrugia, and the Minister for Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri. During the event the book: "The Way Ahead, The Gozo Busi- ness Chamber in the Light of Gozo's Recent History" was also launched. The book was written by Dr Michael Refalo who also in- tervened and presented the book. The book addresses both Gozo's economic history and also the contribution of the Gozo Business Chamber to both Gozo's econo- my and community. In his opening remarks, Mi- chael Galea President of the Gozo Business Chamber, high- lighted that while there is the need to diversify the Gozitan economy, it is important that Gozo is granted regional auton- omy so that it can outline its pri- orities based on the needs of the Gozitan community. "For Gozo to succeed and be competitive there is the need for more autonomy. Our history shows that we were also deter- mined to lead our own affairs and to decide that which is necessary for Gozo," he said. "Autonomy provides Gozo and Gozitans with the necessary au- thority to take the best decisions about the regional economic strategy, the development of new infrastructure, and regional pol- itics. We know Gozo's real needs because we live, work and employ people on this island." Daniel Borg, CEO of the Gozo Business Chamber, said that this 25th anniversary event served as an important point of reflection to both analyse the contribution of the Chamber, past and present, but also discern its future role. He said that this anniversary comes at an important crossroads in the country's history as impor- tant anniversaries from when the country became independent, a republic, and a Member of the Eu- ropean Union, were celebrated. He pointed out that Gozo and the Gozitans are mature enough for Gozo to be an autonomous region. "While I believe in the need for the dialogue on the Renewal of the Constitution to restart, Gozo's re- gional autonomy needs to be stud- ied, implemented and introduced in the Constitution," Borg said. "Nonetheless in this process political dialogue is of vital im- portance. While there seems to be consensus from all parties on the political spectrum on the as- pect of regionality, there is lack of consensus on the form on how the status of regionality should be implemented. And this is why these past days led me to reflect on the need for political dialogue which is honest, transparent, and sincere, and which does not suffo- cate the aspirations of the Gozitan community." Celebrating 25 years of commitment to Gozo 146 final deeds of sale relating to residential property in Gozo were registered in December 2024. In the same month, 92 promise of sale agreements on property in Gozo were recorded. Nationwide, the number of fi- nal deeds of sale relating to res- idential property recorded in December amounted to 1,113, an increase of 6.1 per cent when compared to those registered in December 2023. The value of these deeds to- talled €350.5 million, represent- ing an increase of 22.6 per cent when compared to the corre- sponding value recorded in De- cember 2023. In the month under review, 997 (or 89.6 per cent) of these final deeds of sale involved in- dividual buyers (households), with companies accounting for virtually all remaining deeds. The value of the deeds involv- ing individual buyers (house- holds) amounted to €252.0 mil- lion, equivalent to 71.9 per cent of the total value. The highest numbers of final deeds of sale were recorded in the Northern Harbour and the Northern districts, with totals of 275 and 217 deeds, respec- tively. On the other hand, the low- est numbers were registered in the Western, and the Gozo and Comino districts, at 91 and 146 deeds, respectively. The highest numbers of final deeds of sale were recorded in the following localities: San Pawl Il-Baħar (85), Birkirka- ra (62) and Il-Mosta (49). The sum of agreements recorded in these localities correspond- ed to 17.6 per cent of the total final deeds of sale registered during December 2024. The number of properties transacted in the final deeds of sale was equivalent to 1,249. Apartments (416) and garages (296) accounted for the larg- est shares, at 33.3 per cent and 23.7 per cent, respectively. Promise of sale agreements In December 2024, 1,044 promise of sale agreements re- lating to residential property were registered, equivalent to a decrease of 0.7 per cent over the same period in 2023. The largest number of prom- ise of sale agreements relat- ed to residential properties were registered in the North- ern Harbour district with 347 agreements, followed by the Northern district with 186 agreements. The lowest figures of promise of sale agreements were noted in the Western, and the Gozo and Comino districts, at 91 and 92 agreements, re- spectively. The highest numbers of promise of sale agreements were recorded in San Pawl Il- Baħar (74), Birkirkara (70) and Marsaskala (58). 146 final deeds of sale, 92 promise of sale agreements for Gozo property recorded in December 2024 Property transactions in December 2024