Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540988
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS open weekend Free entrance, tours & activities for all ages 8–9 November 2025 10am–5pm More info CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 He said this is already some- what the case. "In summer, you go to a beach and can hardly find a place to lay down your towel on the sand. This is why certain measures were already taken in Comino," he said, referring to a visitor cap implemented to pro- tect the Natura 2000 site. "It will be difficult, but we need to make sure that the tourists coming to Malta have deeper pockets. It makes no sense to keep chasing quantity tourism from Europe," he said. Caruana also said the gov- ernment is now adopting an economic policy that encour- ages productivity and capital investment rather than contin- ual population and employment growth. Traffic and mass transport: 'Behaviour must change' The minister also addressed mounting public frustration over traffic, acknowledging it as a key concern that will remain as long as Malta's population con- tinues to grow. He said better traffic manage- ment, investment in ferries, and improved public transport could ease congestion, but warned that "no matter how much you try to ease it, traffic remains a key concern". On proposals for a mass-trans- port system, whether it be a metro or tram network, he said that he's not against the idea but wanted to be fully convinced of the numbers—the operating ex- penses, revenue, demand, subsi- dies. "I won't accept a situation where people use their car and this metro," he said. "If this goes wrong, the Maltese taxpayer will pay for it." He also said the issue goes be- yond bipartisan support. "Let's say the project will cost €300 million a year. Between that and public transport, we'd be spending €400 million. Should we even spend that much mon- ey on this? I'm just asking. Or should that money go towards buying new medicines, the price of which is always increasing? It's a matter of priorities." Productivity and a four-day work week Caruana repeated his concerns about a four-day work week, saying any reduction in hours would require higher productiv- ity and a better-educated work- force. "We haven't matured enough as an economy to start promis- ing things like this," he said. He's not outright against the idea, but said Malta can only start to consider a four-day work week by investing far more in capital. "There are already com- panies in Malta giving workers a lot of flexibility or possibly even lower hours, but that's because those workers have such high skills that the company can af- ford to give them those things." He insisted that students and youths need to have a high- er level of education. "I repeat this in every interview. I find it difficult to accept that, after 13 years of schooling, over 40% of students fail to attain six O lev- els." Caruana emphasised individ- ual and family responsibility on this too. "Families need to give more value to education. We need to recognise that the world is changing," he said. Keith Schembri contact 'nothing more, nothing less' Asked about reports that he remains in contact with former OPM chief of staff Keith Schem- bri, the minister confirmed that Schembri occasionally reaches out to discuss the economy. "Keith Schembri occasionally texts me or speaks to me, asks how I view the economic situa- tion," he said. "He asks my opin- ion. Nothing more and nothing less." It was Schembri himself dur- ing an interview who name- dropped Caruana as one of the people in government he regularly communicates with. Schembri also named the prime minister as a person he is help- ing. INTERVIEW MT2 AND MALTA- TODAY.COM.MT Caruana on tourism, mass transport and his contact with former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said it would be difficult, but "we need to make sure that the toruists coming to Malta have deeper pockets" (Photo: James Bianchi/ maltaToday)