Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541881
A clear majority of people in Malta say their household in- come remained unchanged over the past year but nearly a third believe 2026 will be bet- ter. The figures come from a new Eurobarometer survey pub- lished this week. The data was collected in September 2025 and provides a snapshot of how residents perceive both recent financial developments and what lies ahead. The survey was held in all 20 members of the euro area and included 500 respondents in Malta. The survey shows that 62% of respondents reported stable household income in 2025, a sharp increase of seven per- centage points over last year's Flash Eurobarometer. This places Malta among the coun- tries with the highest sense of income stability in the euro area, second only to Portugal's 68% and well above the euro- zone average of 54%. Only 17% of Maltese respond- ents reported an increase in income, a slight drop from the previous survey and noticeably lower than the euro area av- erage of 22%. By comparison, countries such as Croatia (40%) and Lithuania (33%) report- ed far higher levels of income growth. Meanwhile, 21% said their in- come had decreased, down by five points since the last survey but still marginally above the eurozone average of 20%. The figure remains significantly lower than the decline reported in Greece (31%) and Italy (28%). The data suggests that while households in Malta experi- enced less volatility than many of their European counterparts, upward movement in income remains comparatively limited. WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 10 DECEMBER 2025 • ISSUE 970 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 11 CONTINUES PAGE 3 Nearly a third in Malta believe 2026 will be better for them CONTINUES PAGE 2 Court of Appeal nullifies €656 Ed Sheeran ticket refund order JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A Eurobarometer survey shows that while most Maltese households saw little change in income last year, nearly a third are optimistic that 2026 will bring financial improvement Many households saw little change in income last year, though some remain hopeful for financial improvement in 2026 THE Court of Appeal has sent back a consumer dispute over misrepresented Ed Sheeran con- cert seating, ruling that the Con- sumer Claims Tribunal breached justice by deciding the case with- out properly notifying one of the companies involved. The Court of Appeal has ordered that a consumer claim for com- pensation related to "deceitful" seating at an Ed Sheeran concert be sent back to the Consumer Claims Tribunal, ruling that the initial judgment was procedurally flawed because one of the key par- ties was never notified. ĦALEY XUEREB hxuereb@mediatoday.com.mt Donald Trump